Darth Vader in the Afterlife
by Prof B
Summary: This story traces the experiences of Anakin Skywalker following his demise as Darth Vader on the Death Star. Readers are encouraged to suggest actions or events that might logically come after those recounted here ...
1. Chapter 1

In this Chapter, Darth Vader finds himself transformed, once more, into Anakin Skywalker and meets a friend from long ago.

**I**

_**Darth Vader in the Afterlife**_

As the heavy black helmet was lifted away, the bright lights of the docking bay stung Lord Vader's damaged eyes. Already he could feel the dizzying effects of oxygen deprivation. The Emperor's blue Force lightening had melted key components of the life support system built into his body armor. Without it, his seared lungs could not deliver sufficient oxygen to his brain.

Looking up, Vader struggled to focus on the blurred image of his son's face, hovering just above him. Luke was smiling. As that smile merged in his mind with Padmé's, a subtle warmth enveloped him. Yet, even as his sense of connection to his former life strengthened, a new anxiety gripped him. The space station was now dangerously close to breaking up.

"Now go, my son. Leave me," Anakin Skywalker gasped, struggling for breath.

"No, I've got to save you …." Luke insisted.

"You already have," Anakin replied wonderingly. "You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister. You were right."

Although his sight had darkened, Anakin felt a profound sense of peace. The pain ebbed. Then, unexpectedly, his vision cleared. To his surprise, Anakin found himself watching from several yards away as Luke dragged his body into the space shuttle. Bewildered, he followed Luke up the ramp, watching as Luke shut the shuttle's doors and prepared for take off.

Sitting down in the co-pilot's seat, Anakin admired the way Luke steered the shuttle out of the collapsing docking bay. Once they were well away from the Death Star, Anakin asked his son about their destination. But Luke remained intent on piloting the ship and seemed not to hear.

"Leave him be, for now," said a quiet voice nearby. Turning, Anakin saw a light-filled figure that seemed to regard him with a mixture of affection and compassion. Startled, it took Anakin several moments to recognize the features and demeanor of Qui-Gon Jin, the Jedi master who had, long ago, rescued him from slavery on Tatooine.

"I thought you were dead…" Anakin murmured, wondering if he might be dreaming.

"I am," Qui-Gon replied with a conspiratorial smile, directing his attention to the body lying on the floor. "So are you."

With a sense of shock, Anakin stared at the body, recognizing the body armor, then looked back at Qui-Gon.

"The afterlife can be difficult to get used to, at first," Qui-Gon said conversationally.

Anakin's mind was spinning. All around them, the battle continued. Luke was expertly guiding the shuttle away from the disintegrating Death Star. Rebel fighters intermittently fired on them, mistaking the shuttle Luke had commandeered for an enemy ship. Instinctively, Anakin turned his attention to the co-pilot consol, trying to adjust the deflector shields for maximum effectiveness. His efforts had no effect.

"Come here," Qui-Gon said, beckoning.

Anakin reluctantly got up and followed him into the small lavatory at the back of the shuttle. "Take a look," Qui-Gon said, pointing at the mirror.

Anakin looked into the mirror. He could see no trace of himself reflected in the mirror's surface. Starting to feel impatient, Anakin turned away, his pilot's instincts pulling him back toward the cockpit.

"Luke can pilot the shuttle," Qui-Gon said, guessing his intent. "It would be best if you left him alone for now. Your presence might interfere with his ability to focus. Without a body, the mind is less shielded than when it is merged with a physical brain."

Able to make no sense of Qui-Gon's words, Anakin tried to push past him to get back to the cockpit. When Qui-Gon refused to budge from his position in the narrow hallway, Anakin tried to shove his way past. To his surprise, he found himself walking through the corridor wall. Startled and puzzled, he backed up and stared at Qui-Gon.

With a sad smile, Qui-Gon again pointed to the floor. This time, Anakin looked more carefully at the black-shrouded form near the door. From this angle, its wilted, disfigured face was hideously exposed. Anakin experienced wave of involuntary revulsion, along with a deep feeling of shame. Was that what had become of him? Helplessly he looked at Qui-Gon.

"All bodies eventually wear out," Qui-Gon observed with a shrug. "You just sped up the process by the way you chose to live your life."

There was no blame in Qui-Gon's voice, yet Anakin shivered inwardly. The image of Luke writhing under the Emperor's searing barrage of Force lightening filled his mind. He remembered how, standing just steps away, he had watched the emperor torture his son. For long moments, Anakin allowed that agony to continue, unable to master his own will and seize the opportunity to save Luke.

Taking his dominance over Vader for granted, the Emperor had left his back exposed. Desperately, Anakin struggled against the paralyzing despair that had sunk its talons deep into his spirit. At last, he tore himself free. Grabbing the Emperor, Anakin groaned as the blue Force lightening had incinerated the life support systems that had kept him alive. Franticly, the Emperor struggled to break loose from the grip of his long-time apprentice, depleting his last reserves of power.

Even as the acrid smell of melting metal and plastic made it clear that the vital life support systems built into Anakin's body armor were damaged beyond repair, Anakin experienced a fierce joy. The full power of the Force coursed through him once again. The inner dragon that had consumed his resolve retreated, held at bay by aspects of the Force that, as a Sith, Darth Vader had spurned.

As he threw Darth Sidius down the reactor shaft, Anakin experienced a moment of heightened awareness when he had almost expected to turn and see … what? Something he had sensed for a fleeting moment. Anakin gazed at the black-clothed body on the floor. As a Sith, he had fully expected his consciousness to flicker out, like a used up candle, when he breathed his last. Yet, he was standing here … and Qui-Gon was with him.

"You said that we were both dead…" Anakin said hesitantly, looking back at Qui-Gon and remembering his former mentor's earlier words.

"There was nothing in your Jedi training to warn you of this," Qui-Gon replied carefully. "At the time when you entered the Jedi Order, we assumed that the death of the body meant the loss of individual identity. We have learned a great deal about physical death since then."

Recalling his own role in the Great Jedi Purge, Anakin looked away. Till now, Qui-Gon had shown no awareness of the role his former protégé had played—or what he had become—in the years following Qui-Gon's fatal confrontation with Darth Maul on Naboo.

"We all make mistakes," Qui-Gon observed quietly, as if reading Anakin's thoughts. "But, as a result of your actions, the Sith have been defeated."

Staring at the black-robed body he had once inhabited, Anakin nodded. As Darth Vader, he had killed the Emperor. Then, as Darth Vader, he had died, ridding the galaxy of the Sith presence. Now, both Sith Lords were dead. That thought brought a measure of acceptance. But, if Anakin was no longer Darth Vader, what was he? How could what he was experiencing be explained?

Leaving Anakin to his musings, Qui-Gon moved toward the front of the shuttle. He paused behind Luke, who was now searching for a place to land the shuttle on the forest moon of Endor. Although Luke seemed not to see him, Qui-Gon's presence appeared to strengthen Luke's own connection to the Force. The uncertainty in Luke's face turned to confidence as he guided the shuttle into a small clearing in the trees.


	2. Chapter 2

**II**

In this chapter Anakin tries to make sense of finding himself still conscious after his physical body has expired.

**Confronting the Ghosts of the Dead**

Left alone in the back of the shuttle, Anakin felt disoriented. He was distantly aware that the shuttle had landed. But, his attention was elsewhere. All around him, the air seemed filled with the wraiths of the dead.

"Come on," Qui-Gon urged, interrupting his thoughts. "Let the others take care of the preparations. We can rejoin them later."

As the shuttle's door opened, Qui-Gon walked into the bright sunshine. Anakin followed dazedly. With Qui-Gon in the lead, they quickly crossed the clearing and moved into the woods.

"I need to ask something," Anakin said urgently, shaken by the accusing phantoms that had closed in on him during the moments that Qui-Gon had left him alone.

"About the others who died today?" Qui-Gon asked, motioning for him to keep up. "To understand, you must first see."

They passed the landing platform from which Lord Vader's shuttle had taken off, bringing Luke to see the Emperor. Nearby, a field hospital had been set up to tend the wounded. Just beyond, in a long row waiting for transport, lay the still forms of the dead, each covered by a blanket.

"This may seem grim," Qui-Gon said amicably. "But I have responsibilities to fulfill. If you watch patiently while you wait for me, what you see may surprise you."

Qui-Gon left. Anakin shrank into the shadows beneath a long tree, feeling an unaccustomed timidity. Not far away, Qui-Gon moved along the rows of cots. More than once, Anakin saw a look of anxious indecision on a medic's face turn into focused attention as Qui-Gon stood nearby. Often this was accompanied by a visible easing of the signs of pain shown by the patient.

Very soon, however, Anakin gaze was drawn away from the living, toward the congregation of translucent figures that hovered above the still forms hidden under blankets. A few floated, in seeming confusion, near a specific body. Others appeared to converse with indistinct, luminous beings. These shining figures were gradually moving away from the shrouded bodies so that, followed by their translucent companions, they soon began to disappear from sight. As Anakin watched, he noticed a perceptible thinning out of the semitransparent shapes lingering near the concealed corpses.

"Ready to go back?" Qui-Gon asked, breaking into his reverie.

"What is happening over there?" Anakin inquired.

"Most of the recently deceased leave this dimension rather quickly," Qui-Gon replied. "Physical incarnation is a somewhat uncomfortable experience for a majority of sentient spirits. Once out of the body, most find it easy to leave."

"Where do they go?"

"You probably noticed the former Jedi who now serve as escorts. If you were to speak with them, they would be able to tell you far more than I could."

"You have never been to the place where they are going?"

"No. Eventually, I will take that path. But, once I do, I will have limited access to the dimension where we are now."

Although Qui-Gon's tone remained kindly, his words disturbed Anakin. As Darth Vader, he had thought of the dead only as tiny sparks of energy that had been set free to merge with the Force. Now, watching the translucent figures moving onward in the company of their luminous guides, he felt as if a chasm had opened at his feet.

"Where is Padmé?" Anakin asked suddenly.

"She has gone on, like the others you have been watching depart."

"Can I follow her?"

Qui-Gon regarded him with compassion. "No, not without rebuilding the bridge."

"What do you mean?"

"Padmé has retreated to a dimension beyond that which we currently inhabit."

"What about Obi-Wan?"

"He stayed, as I have to those who still inhabit the physical plane. Obi-wan is with Luke. Your son wanted to give you a traditional Jedi funeral. But he did not know the ritual. So he asked Obi-Wan."

"You mean, Luke can talk to Obi-Wan?"

"Yes." When Obi-Wan passed from the physical plane, he raised the frequency of the atoms in his physical body, so that he seemed to observers to disappear. Afterward, those atoms remained available to him, although in a subtler form. This allows him to become visible to Luke and enables them to talk.

Anakin nodded, but a surge of frustration swelled within him. "Is there no way that I can communicate directly with my son?" he asked.

"Yoda can help you to appear in a form that Luke is able to see. That would mean a great deal to Luke, I think."

"Yoda?" Anakin said hesitantly. The prospect of encountering the ancient Jedi Master was daunting.

"It's getting dark," Qui-Gon smiled. "You wouldn't want to be late for your own funeral, would you?"

Anakin grimaced as they made their way back to the clearing, he asked one last question: "In those last moments before I seized the Emperor, I almost felt as if … someone, besides Luke and the Emperor …"

Qui-Gon nodded. "Yoda and Obi-Wan."

"Were you there?"

"No," Qui-Gon laughed, "I was on the forest moon, very near the spot where the field hospital is now inspiring an army of militant Ewoks with ingenious ideas for bringing down imperial troops."

"And Yoda and Obi-Wan?"

Qui-Gon shrugged. "They also used the force to create opportunities. Yoda encouraged the Emperor's arrogance, so that he became more vulnerable to you. Obi-Wan strengthened Luke's connection to the Force."

"Why did I see only you?"

"When you flung the Emperor down the reactor shaft, I traded places with Yoda. Obi-Wan had the task of helping to guide the Rebel ships to the main reactor."

"Obi-Wan was guiding the Rebels to the main reactor, before Luke had escaped from the Death Star?"

Qui-Gon nodded. "The Death Star had to be destroyed. He trusted me to look after Luke."

Anakin grimaced, startled by the upwelling of bitterness he felt.

Qui-Gon nodded resignedly. "Yoda sensed that you might need time to adjust before you encountered Obi-Wan."

"You don't understand!" Anakin retorted defensively.

Qui-Gon sighed. "For two decades, you had sent volcanic waves of hatred in Obi-Wan's direction… You blamed Obi-Wan for your physical pain, for your subservience to the Emperor."

"You have no idea how …being imprisoned behind that mask …"

"Suffering can only be cleansed by letting it go. Why not start by allowing Luke to mourn the loss of his father?"

As they came to the clearing, Anakin saw that the black-clad body of Darth Vader had been laid upon a funeral pyre of dead trees and dried brush. Suddenly a deep sense of unworthiness took hold of Anakin. He was hesitant to approach. Gradually Anakin became aware of another presence. Next to Luke, he could see only an indistinct blur. Yet Luke was clearly talking to someone. Confused, Anakin looked questioningly at Qui-Gon.

"You don't see anyone?" Qui-Gon asked.

"No. Do you?"

Qui-Gon nodded resignedly. "Obi-Wan is apparently not prepared to meet you."

A shiver ran through Anakin. "Obi-Wan is over there?" Warily, he drew closer to the funeral pyre. The sun had almost set. Luke was preparing to light the dried wood when Anakin was startled by a voice next to him.

"Almost finished, the preparations in the village are," Yoda remarked without preamble, his wizened face peering up at Anakin and Qui-Gon. "Greatly honored we are to have you with us once again, Anakin Skywalker."

Wordlessly Anakin nodded, abashed by memories that Yoda's presence brought, yet comforted by the heart-warming sense of power emanating from the small form. With a slight bow, Yoda took his leave and moved toward Luke. As he did so, Anakin saw Yoda's form change subtly, losing some of its brightness, becoming heavier and more solid. Luke looked in Yoda's direction and nodded, as if in silent welcome. Clearly, Yoda was now visible to him.

Luke put the torch to the funeral pyre. Silently, all stared into the flames. Images of Qui-Gon's funeral ran through Anakin's mind. Had Qui-Gon been there, observing the ceremony, just as Anakin was now observing his own funeral? The thought stunned him. Anakin had felt so alone at the time. Would it have made a difference had he sensed Qui-Gon's presence? "If only…." he murmured.

"We have only the present," Qui-Gon responded quietly. "Our focus must be on opportunities that are open to us now."

Anakin noticed that Yoda was looking upward, nodding, as if in greeting. Seized by a premonition, Anakin fought the urge to shrink away. With an act of will, he steeled himself to look upward through the fire and smoke, into the clear air above. There a silent host of former Jedi loomed, watching silently. Here and there, Anakin saw a face he recognized. After a short time, he dropped his gaze. Although he sensed no condemnation from these onlookers, encountering once-familiar faces in this way was painful.

"A comfort it would be to Luke if he could see you now," a voice said softly. Anakin, looked down. Yoda was once again at his side.

Instinctively, Anakin backed away, remembering the hideous visage that had so long been hidden behind an impenetrable mask. While speaking with Qui-Gon and Yoda, he had given little thought to how he appeared. But Anakin shrank from appearing in that guise to Luke.

"Look," Yoda said, creating a small, mirror-like field of energy between his hands. In that reflective surface, Anakin saw his own image as it had been when Padmé was alive.

"But how…?"

"The face of Darth Vader, was as much a mask as the steel mask that hid that face. The face that once was beloved by Padmé is the face that Luke will see. In abandoning your life as a Sith, you regained your spiritual self."

Reaching out, Yoda took Anakin's hand and turned to look at Luke. Anakin noticed that his hand was becoming more solid-looking. At that moment Luke looked toward them with an expression of heartfelt joy. Anakin gazed back, love and gratitude overcoming his wariness. In that instant he glimpsed, beyond Luke, the figure that had been cloaked from his vision before. There was no hatred in Obi-Wan's glance, only deep sadness and an unmistakable weariness. Then the moment passed.

From beyond the trees came sounds of exuberant celebration. "Much missed, Luke will be if he does not go to the village and share this celebration with his sister," Yoda observed, extending a hand toward the dying fire, so that the embers quickly cooled.

Above them, Anakin now saw only the deep indigo of the night sky, broken here and there by the glitter of stars. Yoda and Luke moved off in the direction of the joyous drumming. Following behind, Anakin and Qui-Gon retraced their earlier steps, making their way toward the Ewok village. There was now no sign of Obi-Wan.

Turning toward Qui-Gon, Anakin groped for words. "When Obi-Wan looked at me just now, it was as if I saw, reflected in his eyes, the image of the dead younglings in the Jedi Temple," Anakin whispered, half afraid that Luke might hear.

"The images seared into his mind are Obi-Wan's own burden. He blames himself. Remember, he vouched for you to the Jedi Council. Give him time. He will reach out to you. A moment ago, you seemed to see him quite clearly. Like you, Obi-Wan has suffered much."

"But Luke…"

"Do not fear Obi-Wan's connection with your son," Qui-Gon cautioned, sensing Anakin's feelings. "He has watched over Luke since infancy. Obi-Wan would never stand in the way of what is best for Luke."


	3. Chapter 3

**III**

This chapter describes Anakin's first encounter with Leia. Then, Qui-Gon takes Anakin on a journey back in time, observing Obi-Wan's arrival as a child at the Jedi Temple.

**A Journey Back in Time**

Walking to the Ewok village in the company of Luke, Yoda, and Qui-Gon, Anakin was struck by the extent of the devastation around him. Shattered trees. Twisted remains of machines. Qui-gon left them to investigate.

Just outside the village, a group of young Ewoks had suspended a black-painted storm trooper helmet from a tree and attached a black cloth that hung down like a cloak. Ewoks were taking turns throwing rocks at this primitive caricature of Darth Vader, then hitting it with a stick and chortling with merriment. Anakin winced. But, Luke hurried on ahead, seeming not to notice.

A wooden ramp led up to the treetop dwellings of the Ewoks. Anakin noticed with a stab of guilt that Princess Leia Organa was among the first to greet Luke. She had proven surprisingly resistant to the mind probe with which he had, as Darth Vader, attempted to wrest information from her. Then there was the destruction of her home planet of Alderaan.…

As they reached the center of the village, Anakin noticed that Obi-Wan had joined them. Luke smiled gratefully when he caught sight of Anakin, Yoda, and Obi-Wan. Now seeming more relaxed, Obi-Wan also grinned broadly at Anakin. But then Leia approached and, with a sisterly gesture, drew Luke back toward the festivities.

Staring at the two retreating figures, Anakin felt a sudden stab of recognition. Leia! Of course! He had heard a rumor that Bail Organa's daughter had been adopted as an infant, but Anakin had never connected that gossip to Padme's pregnancy. Glancing warily at Obi-Wan, he wondered what other secrets the old Jedi might have kept from him.

Just then, Leia looked directly toward the spot where her father stood and seemed to shiver. Momentarily, Anakin was convinced that she saw him. But then she shook her head, apparently telling herself that she was imagining things. Still, the dread and horror in her glance had been unmistakable. Turning away, so that he could no longer see his daughter, Anakin discovered that Qui-Gon was again at his side.

"Shall we take a break from the festivities?" Qui-Gon asked pleasantly. Anakin nodded glumly, following Qui-Gon into the forest.

"Perhaps it is too late…" Anakin said, half to himself.

"Things are not always as they may seem." Qui-Gon said, regarding him pensively. "Would you consider coming with me on a short journey?"

"To visit more of the dead?" Anakin responded guardedly.

"Not in the way you think. Still, the fluidity of time is an interesting facet of the dimension in which we now find ourselves."

"I have no wish to relive my recent past,"

"I would not suggest that you explore your own past, at least not yet. But you and Obi-Wan may have more in common than you realize."

No longer buoyed up by the wave of euphoria that initially had shielded him, Anakin was seized by dread. "Obi-Wan hid my son and daughter from me." "Am I now to discover that he and Padmé …?"

"No. But the suspicions that you are expressing now could easily poison your relationship with your son."

"How can you possibly understand what I am feeling?"

"I do not claim to understand, but may be able to convince you that Obi-Wan's compassion for your children came from a source other than a wish to steal them away from you."

"How would you know?" Anakin muttered.

"Everything done on the physical plane leaves an impression in time and space. Therefore, those who have learned the proper technique are able to step in and out of the river of time," Qui-Gon explained. With a roguish grin, he pulled a pouch from his belt.

While Anakin watched, he took out a small gold rod and gazed at it intently. As he did so, the rod began to emit a pulsating glow. Small beams of light traveled up and down the shaft before converging at a point that seemed to satisfy Qui-Gon. "Put your hand on the rod, just above mine," he urged. "What you learn may surprise you."

His curiosity getting the better of him, Anakin reluctantly complied. At first he felt nothing. Then there was a dizzying sensation. He felt he was being stretched, as if he were made of rubber. When Anakin regained his balance and looked around, the Ewok village had disappeared. However, the scene around them was uncomfortably familiar.

Anakin recognized the stone facing of a service tunnel leading to the Jedi Temple. From the relative lack of security, Anakin could tell that the time period was well before the Clone Wars. As they watched, a panic-stricken young woman ran past carrying a bundle in her arms. Her long blond hair darkened with sweat, she pulled furiously on the bell rope next to the portal. A Temple door warden stepped forward to question her.

Sobbing, the young woman pulled the blankets aside to show him the contents of the bundle. As she was admitted to the Temple, a bell tolled loudly. A member of the medical staff was soon hurrying toward her. The young woman was swiftly guided to a nearby medical clinic.

"How did this happen?" the physician on duty demanded as he parted the blood-soaked blankets to reveal a small child.

"He … my former husband, started hitting him. When I tried to stop him, he started beating me …" Bruised and disheveled, with a swollen lip, the young woman reached out to touch the face of the little boy, one of whose eyes was swollen shut. She looked pleadingly at the physician. "Will he be all right?"

"You did the right thing by bringing him here," the physician said more gently. "But I can tell you nothing until I have examined him."

A member of the Medical Corps took her arm and led her to a nearby chair, asking, "How long ago did this happen?"

"Not long! When my former husband left … I ran… I was so worried…"

"Has anything like this … happened before?" the Medical Corps member asked quietly, noticing the bruises on the child's arms.

"Nothing so bad as this."

"But your … ah … former husband has hit the child before?"

"Yes. He has a bad temper…" As the young mother stammered out her story, the Medical Corps member took down her words and his expression wavered between sympathy and consternation. While she spoke, the child was examined by the physician. A blood sample was taken from both mother and son.

By the time Yoda entered the room, the young mother's sobbing had quieted and she was sipping a cup of hot tea. Yoda was handed a printed analysis of the two blood samples. He gazed inscrutably at the printout, then at the child, who had recovered enough to stare back at him. Although the boy's face was bruised and swollen, the blue eyes were remarkably clear and unafraid. Nodding to himself, Yoda sat down opposite the young woman.

"Your former husband, looking for you may be. He and his family will not wish news of this incident to become well known," he said, emanating compassion.

Anxiety filled the young woman's eyes as she gazed longingly at her son. "We have nowhere to go. At least, nowhere that I can take him."

"He will be safe with us. We can arrange for your transportation back to Amu Zon."

"What will become of him?"

"Would you like to see the children's quarters?" Yoda queried, beckoning toward a side door. The young mother lifted her son in her arms and followed Yoda. Up a flight of stairs, they could hear the echo of young voices. A short hallway led to a light-filled room with a dozen small cots. Next to each cot was a wardrobe where clothing was hung. "This is where he will sleep," Yoda explained, motioning toward an empty cot at the end of the row.

"Where are the children?"

Yoda looked questioningly at a nearby Service Corps member.

"Swimming lessons."

The young mother hugged her son close, murmuring, "He is very young."

Splashing sounds guided them to the pool. Nine young children splashed in the water, some wearing water wings, a few having graduated to swimming by themselves. Three Service Corps members encouraged their efforts. Watching them, the young mother began to cry. Her sobs caused her son to become visibly agitated. Quietly a nurse who had accompanied them intervened and took the boy from her.

"Nothing can be done before morning," Yoda said, moving toward the door. "Mistress Vita, please come with us. Tonight Lady Annalisa will stay in a guest room, along with her son. If you are willing, it would be helpful to have a trained nurse nearby. The boy seems to have suffered a concussion."

Biting her lip, the Annalisa Kenobi glanced uncertainly from the robust woman now holding her son to the ancient Jedi. Then, she straightened, gathering herself together. "I just want what's best for him," she said.

"My Lady," Yoda said with great seriousness, "your son would not be so healthy and calm if that were not true. Still, you were lucky this time. The child's father …"

"But he isn't! The marriage was annulled. Legally, little Obidiah has no father…" her voice trailed off.

"I understand. But this incident cannot be ignored," Yoda sighed. "As I am sure you are aware, your former husband's family is not without influence on Coruscant. I sense that, if you waver now, your lack of resolve will put you and your son at risk. I urge you to return to your home planet and take counsel. Meanwhile, your son will be safer staying here, as an anonymous foundling, than he would be beyond the Temple doors."

Taking a deep breath, Annalisa nodded, her beauty becoming apparent as her brow relaxed and her lips curved into a wan smile.

"Let me show you the rest of the children's quarters," Mistress Vita offered, leading the way down the corridor.


	4. Chapter 4

**IV**

In this chapter, Anakin and Qui-Gon return from their first journey into the past and talk about Qui-Gon's hopes for Anakin and Obi-Wan. Afterward, they once again journey back in time to investigate what happened after Obi-Wan's mother left him at the Jedi Temple.

**Qui-Gon's Hope**

Abruptly, Anakin found himself back on the forest moon, with Ewok drums throbbing in the background. Nothing seemed to have changed. "How long were we gone?" he asked.

"From the Ewok point of view, we were gone no time at all," Qui-Gon relied. "We stepped out of the river of time, then stepped back in at the same place."

Peering through the trees Anakin studied Obi-Wan, who was still watching the festivities with Yoda. Gazing back at Qui-Gon, Anakin's eyes narrowed. He glanced again at Obi-Wan. For the first time, he had noticed the odd contrast in their appearance. Qui-Gon appeared to be in the prime of life. Yet Obi-Wan seemed to be as old as he had been during that final duel on the Death Star.

"Since we are talking about time," Anakin said tentatively, "there is another question I would like to ask. Why do you now look so much younger than Obi-Wan?"

"For the same reason that you do," Qui-Gon grinned. "In this dimension, the mind shapes the external appearance. Once you had left behind your identity as a Sith, your outer appearance returned to what it had been before. But, as we discussed earlier, Obi-Wan has allowed self-blame to distort his perceptions. This has choked off his connection with energies that could rejuvenate him."

Biting his lip, Anakin avoided Qui-Gon's eyes. "If I could take it all back …"

"Please do not misunderstand," Qui-Gon interrupted. "The finger of blame could as easily be pointed at me. I was the one who demanded that Obi-Wan make a promise to his dying master, forcing him to go against the original consensus of the Jedi Council. By doing so, I set events in motion that have caused untold misery—not least to you and to Obi-Wan."

"For what you did for me, I am grateful," Anakin said quickly.

"My hope is that you will find a way to bring healing both to Obi-Wan and yourself," Qui-Gon responded.

At those words, Anakin felt a sudden flutter of hope, as if a door that had been bolted shut had opened, just a crack. "What happened to Obi-Wan and his mother, following that scene we saw at the Jedi Temple?"

"It would be better to witness those events in person. We will return to the Jedi Temple and we will see how the ambassador from Amu Zon chose to deal with the family of Obi-Wan's father."

Qui-Gon held out the gold rod and, with a suddenness that startled Anakin, they found themselves inserted, as an invisible presence, inside Yoda's quarters in the Jedi Temple. The ancient master was silently meditating. A nurse shyly entered.

"Pardon me, Master Yoda," Mistress Vita said hesitantly. "But you said that, if I could not quiet the boy, I should come and tell you."

Rousing himself, Yoda blinked at the grey-haired woman standing in the doorway of the meditation chamber and nodded. "To the veranda, please bring him. A bottle also, warm milk mixed with a little honey. "

As she hurried off, Yoda rose slowly and picked up his gimmer stick. Seating himself on a bench swing hung from the rafters, he gazed pensively at a panoramic view of the gathering sunset. Moments later, Mistress Vita walked in, holding a fretful child in her arms.

Patting the bench beside him, Yoda took the warm bottle while Mistress Vita put the boy down beside him, wrapped a blanket. She also placed a comlink within Yoda's reach, so that he could contact her when the child finally fell asleep. As she left, Yoda adjusted the blanket, moving it away from the child's face. A soft sniffling sound emanated from the bundled form.

"Kept the others from sleeping, have you?" Yoda said conversationally, gently pulling the child's thumb out of his mouth and offering the bottle instead.

"Mama!" the child sniffed, staring back at him, refusing the bottle.

"In danger, your mama was," Yoda explained seriously, patting the small blond head with his hand. "She brought you here, so you could be safe."

The boy continued to look up at him silently, his lower lip quivering. Yoda picked up the bottle and squeezed the nipple so that a few drops of warm, honeyed milk fell on his hand. With a great show of pleasure, he licked the milk off, smacking his lips. Then, pulling the child close to him, he offered the bottle again. This time the boy took it, beginning to suck quietly as Yoda placed an arm around him.

"No fear, little one," Yoda said softly. "A Jedi must let the Force flow freely through him."

Closing his eyes, Yoda gently placed his hand on top of the boy's head. "A waterfall of light is softly flowing around us…and through us," he murmured. "It washes away fear and leaves only peace." The child's breathing became more quiet and regular.

"A child so young could not possibly understand…" Anakin objected, unable to maintain his silence any longer.

"In the Temple School, concepts were often introduced long before the children would fully understand them, just to prepare the mind. What you cannot see is that, by allowing his mind to become one with that of a child, Yoda could let the child experience what he was describing."

"You talk as if you had been there."

"When I was quite young," Qui-Gon explained, "I had a painful accident. Yoda sat me in that same swing. I still remember the sensation, as if a warm river were soothing an inflamed node in my memory."

"He never did that with me …" Anakin replied, feeling an unexpected sense of loss.

"You were too old," Qui-Gon shrugged.

As the boy next to him fell into a fitful sleep, Yoda appeared to turn his thoughts to the young mother. "May the Force comfort and guide you," he said, holding up a hand in blessing toward the unseen planet of Amu Zon.

Moving toward the door, Qui-Gon beckoned to Anakin. "Our next stop is the residence of Obi-Wan's grandmother, his father's mother. The Amazon ambassador had refused an offer of Jedi assistance. She insisted on handling the situation in her own way."

Somewhat reluctantly, Anakin left the peaceful scene on the veranda and touched the gold rod at the point Qui-Gon indicated.

"We offer you our deepest condolences on the passing of your grandson, Baroness," the Amazon ambassador said with a dignified bow.

Wearing the sleeveless, flowing robes that were the traditional attire of Amu Zon, the muscular arms and erect carriage of the Amazon delegation stood in start contrast to the languid repose of Baroness Tallenbuck, who sat on a cushioned chair and greeted her visitors with a stony stare. Nevertheless, the atmosphere was electric with tension.

"You tell me that my son's former wife returned to her home planet without little Obi-John. Now you tell me the boy expired after a mild spanking delivered by my son. Yet, you will not allow us to give the child a suitable burial…"

"Baroness, the custom on my planet is that all deceased persons must be cremated by sundown on the day after the death has occurred."

"Yet you saw no reason to notify me or my husband of the boy's death until now."

"The marriage between your son and Annalisa Kenobi was annulled, at your son's request. So, according to Coruscant law, decisions of this type would be left to the mother."

"Thank you for coming," Baroness Tallenbuck replied coldly, her heavily powdered face frozen in a scowl beneath her elaborately coiffed hair.

As the Amazon ambassador left, Qui-Gon and Anakin followed.

"I noticed that the grandmother called him 'Obi-John'."

"Short for Obidiah Jonathan. But Yoda prefers to use the more ancient forms. So, since his arrival at the Temple, he has been called Obi-Wan."

"So the Amazons told the grandparents that Obi-Wan was dead?" Anakin asked, pausing on the street corner outside the ornate home of the Baroness.

"The Amazon ambassador certainly did her best to give that impression," Qui-Gon laughed. "As you may have noticed, the ambassador referred to 'the passing of your grandson.' Since the female inhabitants of Amu Zon do not allow their male children to remain on their home planet beyond a very young age, that term can simply mean that a boy has passed out of the care of his birth mother, to a foster home or an adoptive family."

"Did Baroness Tallenbuck suspect that?"

"Who knows? The reward Baroness Tallenbuck had offered for the child's return remained in effect for a dozen years. In the end, Obi-Wan was not reunited with his mother until he was almost eighteen years old."

"Odd that his mother was from Amu Zon. She did not look much like the typical Amazon."

"Lady Annalisa was a member of the Amu Zon merchant class. She had more opportunities to travel and to interact with outsiders than most of her people. That is how she came to leave her home planet to marry a spoiled young industrialist," Qui-Gon said sadly.

"You sound as if you knew her."

"I did. I was the one who finally took Obi-Wan to Amu Zon to visit his mother on her home planet."


	5. Chapter 5

**V**

In this chapter, Anakin ponders Leia's reactions to him. He also comes to better understand what it had been like for Obi-Wan to grow up, from early childhood, in the Jedi Temple. Please let me know where you think it might be interesting to take the story next ….

**From Generation to Generation**

"Shall we rejoin the party?" Qui-Gon asked as they found themselves, once more, standing in the darkened forest with ecstatic Ewok drums throbbing nearby.

Anakin shook his head. "I don't want my presence to spoil the moment for Leia."

Qui-Gon nodded, but continued to regard him thoughtfully. "Have you thought about why Leia might have reacted as she did?"

"The reason seems clear enough!" Anakin snorted defensively.

"Maybe not. Had she been confronted with a visible image of Darth Vader, one would expect that experience to trigger uncomfortable memories. But there were no visual cues. So, Leia could only have been reacting to the emotional energy she was picking up from you at that moment."

"I still have not quite adjusted to the thought of Leia being my daughter," Anakin sighed ruefully. "I'm not even sure that it makes sense to call her my daughter. The influence of Bail Organa and his queen has to have been far greater…"

"Your daughter is more like you than you know, but she needs time to figure out what your relationship means to her. Give her that time."

"It is strange, meeting your children for the first time as adults…."

Qui-Gon laughed sympathetically. "Knowing what to say to one's grown children is always a challenge," he agreed, turning to gaze in Obi-Wan's direction. "No matter how close you once were, they have to find their own path."

"I've always wondered about growing up in the Temple. I'd like to see how Obi-Wan adjusted to it."

Qui-Gon nodded as he reached into his pouch. "Looking back, those seem like uncomplicated times…"

Yoda stood on the tile deck next to the children's swimming pool, gazing sternly at a young boy in swimming trunks. Shivering slightly after a plunge in the pool, this was clearly the same child that Anakin and Qui-Gon had observed earlier. However he was slightly older, his slender body more toned and supple.

"Obi-Wan," Yoda warned, "bad things happen in life. How we respond to those things is what matters. It is never all right to take one's frustrations out on others."

The boy said nothing, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Look at me …"

For several moments, neither moved. Then, slowly, the boy raised his head and looked at Yoda, who gazed back silently for several seconds, his lips curving into a slow smile.

"We are taught that the eyes are the windows of the soul," Yoda explained patiently. "Within the Jedi Order, we have nothing to hide from one another."

"She wouldn't listen to me…" the boy replied, a tear sliding down his cheek.

"The swim master is here to teach you. She is to be treated with respect. No one in the Jedi Temple uses words like the ones you just called the swim master. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded silently. "But I can't swim …"

"You will learn," Yoda insisted gently. "When you are willing to let the water bear you up, then you will have begun to understand the nature of the force."

With a stiff bow, the boy rejoined the others in the pool. Refusing the paddle board he was offered, he launched into a thrashing dog paddle.

Nodding to himself, Yoda left the pool and retrieved the package that had just arrived from Amu Zon. He unwrapped the portrait of Annalisa Kenobi, encased in clear plastic, and went to the children's dormitory, where he laid it on the child's pillow.

As they watched Yoda leave the children's sleeping area, Anakin turned to Qui-Gon. "I was thinking of that conversation between the Amazon ambassador and Obi-Wan's grandmother. I couldn't help but feel a glimmer of pity for the old lady. Why was she not consulted?"

"Ah, yes. What I neglected to tell you was that she and her husband, Baron Obidiah Tallenbuck, had pressured Obidiah Jr. into getting his marriage to Annalisa Kenobi annulled. The Tallenbuck Robotics Works were having a cash flow problem and a more advantageous marriage, to a bank magnate's daughter, had been arranged."

"Wasn't Tallenbuck the robotics firm that designed the battle droids on Geonosis?"

"Yes. But, in his youth, Obidiah Jr. had been quite the rebel. Annalisa Kenobi was actually his second wife. He married the first wife while he was a university student and divorced her soon afterward. His relationship with Annalisa seems to have been the closest he came to love. But he could not face having his parents cut off his generous allowance."

"Beating up his wife and child? You call that love?" Anakin snorted.

"I said 'the closest he came to love.' However, love takes strength and Obidiah Jr. was used to having everything handed to him. In the end, he took his frustrations out on his wife and son."

"So why was the grandmother concerned about the boy?"

"In a family dynasty of that sort, one does not lightly throw away a healthy male heir. Knowing that Annalisa would not be able to raise her son on her home planet, the grandparents had planned to adopt the boy. But Obidiah Jr. got wind of their plan. That was what tipped him over the edge."

"What do you mean?"

"If the grandparents adopted the boy, then they would have had a 'spare heir' under their control. That would have made Obidiah Jr.'s position more precarious. His perception that his son was becoming a competitor seems to have been what caused him to lash out."

"Were there other children?"

"Obidiah Jr. was an only child. Apparently the vigor that Obidiah Sr. showed in the business world did not carry over to hearth and home."

"But you said Obidiah Jr. had a former wife?"

"Yes, and she had a son. But the mother's indulgence in recreational drugs during pregnancy had left the child emotionally unstable. Also the bank magnate's daughter, whom Obidiah Jr. was about to marry, was a vain woman who had little interest in children."

"How did the Jedi Council react to all this?"

"Shall we take a look?"

On first entering the Jedi Council chamber, Anakin found it difficult to focus on the scene before him. Several moments passed before he was able to fend off images of his more recent visits to that room. He recognized most of the Jedi Council members at admitting the meeting only from portraits.

"The actions taken in this boy have been most irregular," Micah Giiett said cautiously. "We require both parents to sign the papers when a child enters the Temple School. Only when one or both parents have died is that requirement waived."

"I agree," Tar-Narlduk nodded. "Not only is this boy's father still alive, but the grandmother has offered a large reward for the child's return."

"The father voluntarily resigned all rights, according to Coruscant law, when he had his marriage to the child's mother annulled," Yoda explained.

"The Tallenbuck Robotics Works dominate the manufacture of astromech droid components through much of the galaxy," Korfu reminded his colleagues.

"Why not just demand a guarantee of the child's safety?" Tar-Narlduk suggested.

"Guarantees would be meaningless," Yoda sighed.

"Our principles require us to support the rights of those who are unable to defend themselves," Yaddle cautioned. "That would seem to make our course of action clear."

"You know how the Jedi Order would be portrayed in the scandal sheets if they discovered that we took custody of the boy against the grandmother's wishes," Tar-Narlduk snorted. "They would accuse us of trying to grab the money the boy might inherit."

"He was not born in a public hospital, so there are no medical records that could be used to establish the boy's identity," Yoda explained quietly. "With no proof of identity, the child will inherit nothing."

"Even so, why admit a Tallenbuck to the Temple School?" Tar-Narlduk demanded. "I sense that the boy is not to be trusted."

"I will be mindful of the risks you have pointed out," Yoda replied with a respectful bow.


	6. Conversation in the Temple

VI 

Leaving the Jedi Council chamber, Qui-Gon appeared lost in thought. He and Anakin wandered aimlessly through the halls of the Jedi Temple. For Anakin, it was a harrowing journey, filled with reminders of the horrific day he had led invading storm troopers through these corridors. Recoiling from ghastly images, he turned his attention to a question that had been plaguing him.

"You said you knew where Padmé was. Yet you have never been there. So how could you know? Have you been in contact with her?"

"Not directly. Obi-Wan's mother, Annalisa, told me she had seen her."

"Where did she see her?"

"The Amazons have a tradition that resembles Jedi lore. When she returned to Amu Zon, Annalisa became a student of this tradition, as a way to keep connected to Obi-Wan. By the time I met her, her sensitivity to the Force was unmistakable."

"But what does that have to do with Padmé?"

"Not long after Obi-Wan visited her on Amu-Zon, Annalisa came to Coruscant to see him. While she was there, her transport was hit broadside by a much larger vehicle. Annalisa was killed."

"So when did she see Padmé?"

"After she passed on. I encountered her when she came as an emissary, like those beings we saw on acting as guides for the newly deceased on the battlefield near the Ewok village."

"And Annalisa had seen Padmé?"

"Yes, but she had not spoken with her. Annalisa said that, since her arrival, Padmé had remained in meditation, hardly stirring. Those around her had respectfully left her alone, since that seemed to be her wish."

"How could someone meditate for twenty years?" Anakin protested.

"Annalisa says it is not uncommon for beings whose mortal life was unusually difficult to seek a state of unthinking bliss and remain in that state indefinitely—far longer than twenty years."

His face twisted in frustration, and Anakin stood motionless, as if trying to reach out to Padmé in thought. Finally, he turned back to Qui-Gon.

"Strange, considering his own background, that Obi-Wan never understood my wish to reconnect with my mother," Anakin said irritably.

"Obi-Wan's mother died soon after he first visited her. He connected her death with his visit. That may have affected his attitude about helping you to reconnect with Shmi."

"Still, if he had not seen her for so long … Very likely, Obi-Wan hardly remembered his mother."

"Annalisa did not let him forget her. She kept up a long-distance relationship sending her son little presents. Later on, she sent letters. Looking back, I think she was often there in spirit with Obi-Wan, as he was growing up."

"It doesn't seem like her efforts made much difference."

"Her hope was that her son would leave the Temple School at age twelve and lead what she saw as a more normal life. Things did not turn out that way."

"She was not pleased when Obi-Wan became your apprentice?"

"Not at all. Her intent had never been that Obi-Wan should become a Jedi knight. She hoped to eventually retrieve her son from the Temple School. Only later did Annalisa come to understand that the rigorous training he had undergone at the temple school had changed Obi-Wan." He had chosen to follow the Jedi path.

"At least Obi-Wan's mother had her own life. When I think of my mother …"

"Although I knew Shmi only a short time, I perceived her to be a very intuitive woman. I think you underestimate Shmi if you think she was just passively waiting for you to show up again."

"What do you mean?"

"Could it be mere happenstance that, not long after you left, she attracted a worthy man, who was willing to buy her out of slavery and marry her? Yes, Shmi met an early death. In the brutal worlds of the Outer Rim, that happens all too often. But I don't think she was unhappy."

"Living in the desert with Tuskan Raiders all around? Then dying like she did?"

"My encounters with Annalisa taught me a great deal about what we sometimes still ignorantly call 'the weaker sex.' Women suffer, as we do, but they also grow. If you could come see Shmi's strength, you might feel less guilt."

Anakin shook his head stubbornly. He shuddered to imagine Shmi revisiting the direction that her son's life had taken. He decided to change the subject. "Did the Baroness ever figure out what happened to Obi-Wan?"

Qui-Gon shrugged. "For years, there were posters circulating among the bounty hunters, promising a sizable reward for the return of 'Obi-John Tallenbuck'. Nothing came of it. Then the Force threw Obi-Wan and the Baroness together."

"How?"

"Obi-Wan had recently become my padawan. The day it happened, I had business in the Galactic Senate Building, and I'd asked him to carry some packages for me. As we were crossing the Mall, a couple of adolescent boys purposely shoved Obi-Wan, causing him to drop the packages."

Anakin smiled, in spite of himself, anticipating the next part of the story.

Qui-Gon chuckled. "Obi-Wan had them both on the ground before I could turn around. To give myself time to sort the situation out, I signaled Obi-Wan to sit, cross-legged, on the ground."

"The way teachers do with younglings at the Temple School?"

"Uh-huh. Then I helped the two attackers to their feet. They seemed a bit stunned. But, before I could do anything else, an elegantly dressed woman hurried forward, insisting that I leave her grandson alone. The two teens just glowered at Obi-Wan, keeping their distance."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. The woman stomped up to Obi-Wan, who was sitting on the pavement, glancing from her to the two boys. I moved with her, so as to ensure that she did not hurl anything more damaging than insults. But once she got close to Obi-Wan, she only stood, staring at him."

"She didn't say anything?"

"She just stared, with an unsettling intensity. Then she asked Obi-wan his name. At that point, I should have intervened. But I was not aware of Obi-Wan's physical resemblance to his grandfather. So I did nothing."

"What happened?"

"Obi-Wan told her his name. She flinched, then asked: 'Would you happen to know Annalisa Kenobi?' I signaled Obi-Wan to say nothing more. But the Baroness could tell that he recognized Annalisa's name."

"For a stranger to mention his mother's name must have caught Obi-Wan by surprise."

"He was obviously confused, especially when the Baroness bent over and cupped his chin in her hand. For several moments she looked directly into his eyes. But, since Obi-Wan showed no sign of understanding what was going on, the Baroness finally backed away."

"What did you do?"

"There was nothing that I could do. The Baroness grabbed her grandson's arm and hurried off, with the other boy following behind. A couple of days later, the Jedi Order received a formal inquiry into the legal status of Obi-Wan."

"How did they reply?"

"There was a hearing. The Jedi Order presented a legal brief, explaining that Obi-Wan's mother had signed over custody when he was a young child. The judge was given a copy of the birth certificate that had been issued after the annulment, with the father listed as 'unknown.' He also saw holograms showing Obi-Wan's bruises when he first arrived at the Temple. The case was closed."

"So the Baroness gave up?"

"Baroness Jun Bisou Tallenbuck was a realist. She could see that it was too late to turn back the clock. Still, she was suspicious that the Jedi Order might use her grandson to claim some part of the Tallenbuck fortune. So she kept track of Obi-Wan."

"What about the other grandson, the one she had with her?"

"The Baroness was apparently making a belated attempt to reach out to Owen. Unfortunately, he had accumulated so much anger that her efforts had little effect."

"How did Obi-Wan react to all this?"

"No one spoke to him about it," Qui-Gon sighed. "Still, I think he sensed a difference in the way he was treated, compared to the other padawans. When I started working with Obi-Wan, his lack of confidence was a real problem. He was too tentative about things."

"He seems to have recovered rather well."

Qui-Gon gazed out the window for a long time before replying. "Obi-Wan was, and is, essentially a gentle spirit who was tranformed into a warrior by necessity and by training. He never enjoyed combat. But, over time, he gained enough detachment to let the Force guide his actions, even in the midst of battle."

"Why didn't Yoda just allow Obi-Wan to leave the Jedi Temple at the age of twelve, as his mother wanted?"

"Two reasons, I think. First, Yoda realized that Baron Tallenbuck's grandson would never be allowed to live the peaceful life Annalisa had envisioned for her son. Second, Yoda saw that Obi-Wan was unusually gifted, although in a very different way than you were."

"What do you mean?"

"The best comparison that I can make is to a computer that that is designed to run two programs at once, so that one program is able to check on the accuracy of the other."

"I don't understand."

"The struggle between the Jedi and the Sith is grounded in opposing intuitions about the nature of the Force. Jedi draw strength from compassion and detachment, the Sith from anger and a will to dominate. What each side is able to see—and experience--is determined by the lens through which each perceives the world."

"So?"

"Had you met Obi-Wan's grandfather, Baron Obidiah Tallenbuck, you would have encountered a cold rationality that had little to do with either Jedi compassion or Sith anger. Obidiah Sr. exhibited very little emotion. Not love. Not anger. That's why he cared so little about producing an heir. Yet, he was a brilliant business strategist."

"You're saying that Obi-Wan took after him?"

"What Yoda recognized in Obi-Wan was the capacity to combine Force sensitivity with clear-headed rationality. So, at the moments when his connection to the Force failed him, Obi-Wan could still keep moving ahead, using logical analysis as a guide."

"I have known lots of highly intelligent Jedi…"

"Of course. But, for the most part, theirs was an emotionally-based intelligence, dependent on their connection to the Force. The problem the Jedi faced was that, as Sith power grew, the clarity of that connection had become steadily more difficult to maintain. Like a computer that depends on a network to access information, their ability to function was impaired when negative energy in their environment their force connection"

"How could the Sith do that??"

"It wasn't just the Sith. Over a lifetime, the average sentient being contributes considerable negative energy to the universe through emotions like hatred, anger, and jealousy. With trillions of beings pouring out negative energy over thousands of years, there has been a steady shift in the cosmic balance."

"So are you admitting that of the Dark Side is more powerful?"

"No. I am merely explaining that as time passed, this shift made it difficult for Jedi to maintain a continuing connection to the Force. Whenever their inner vision was darkened, they were vulnerable. Obi-Wan was important because he was less affected by these external energies."

Turning away from the window, Anakin surveyed the light-filled main corridor of the Temple where he had spent so many youthful hours. "Yes, they were … vulnerable," he said, shaking his head. "Even as I was marching into the Temple to do battle, I never imagined that one day the Jedi might simply be gone…"


	7. How the Past Shapes the Future

VII 

In this segment, Anakin overhears Leia telling Han of her fear of following in her father's footsteps. Qui-Gon talks of the regrets he carries from his own past.

**How the Past Shapes the Future**

Returning to the forest outside the Ewok village on Endor, Qui-Gon and Anakin walked in silence toward the sound of throbbing drums. Ahead of them, Anakin could make out the shadowy forms of Leia and Han walking, hand-in-hand, toward an empty stairway where they could share a few moments alone.

"How did Leia get mixed up with that Corellian smuggler?" Anakin growled.

"You sound like a doting father!" Qui-Gon laughed.

Anakin scowled and Qui-Gon finally relented, explaining, "Han Solo was hired to take Obi-Wan and Luke to Alderaan. So, Han was with Luke when he rescued his sister from her prison cell on the Death Star."

Anakin could hear Leia was talking softly to Han. Her words stung him deeply. "I understand Luke's point of view, but how can ten minutes of remorse make up for twenty years of mass murder? All of the people I knew, growing up on Alderaan were killed…"

"But," Han cautioned, "had Vader not intervened…had the emperor won …"

Leia sighed. "What haunts me is the thought that,by taking me in, all the people I loved as a child had sealed their own fate…"

"The people of Alderaan stood up for what they believed in. You give them too little credit."

Trembling, Leia lay her head against his shoulder. "Han, I'm afraid. Coming from such a family, I am afraid I might bring destruction to those I love…"

Wrapping his arms around her, Han did not answer. Wordlessly they listened as the drumbeats coming from the Ewok celebration reached a climax.

Watching them, Anakin was choked by a looming sense of despair. Then, unexpectedly, he heard a soft chuckle. Obi-Wan was standing nearby, talking to Qui-Gon.

"Leia seems to be quite the drama princess tonight," Obi-Wan said, observing her with a fond but amused look.

Startled, Anakin stared at Obi-Wan. For an instant, the decades seemed to melt away. For a brief moment, he felt like a young Jedi padawan whose master had laughed at his anxieties.

"Welcome," Obi-Wan said, turning toward Anakin. "Today you saved many, many lives."

As their eyes met, Anakin felt an almost physical jolt. Obi-Wan's gaze had taken on a penetrating power that left him feeling naked.

"It's good to see you again," Anakin said carefully, noting that Obi-Wan had said nothing about his own feelings.

He could feel Obi-Wan studying him, as if scanning the landscape of his inner being for signs for his future intentions. Feeling a sense of violation, Anakin returned a hard stare.

Quickly, Qui-Gon moved between them. "There is much that Anakin needs to catch up on," he said, signaling that they needed to depart. "Do you mind if we revisit certain incidents …?"

This time, it was Qui-Gon to whom Obi-Wan turned his gaze. Anakin could not interpret the messages ricocheting between them, although the emotional echoes he picked up hinted at complex layers of love and tension. At last, seemingly, some consensus was reached.

With a small bow of farewell to Qui-Gon and Anakin, Obi-Wan moved off toward the Ewok celebration. Qui-Gon pulled out his gold time-cycling rod and motioned for Anakin to follow him. Glumly Anakin moved off toward the forest, looking back at Leia and Han as he did so.

"It saddens me that you still hate him so much," Qui-Gon commented softly.

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked rhetorically, giving himself a moment to think. "What I hate is the way he makes me feel, as if he were looking right through me."

Qui-Gon sighed wearily. "His extended collaboration with Yoda has given Obi-Wan great skills of discernment, but he has yet to learn Yoda's gentleness in using them."

"I never felt, with Obi-Wan, the easy empathy that you and he seemed to share," Anakin shrugged

"Obi-Wan's fault has always been that he tries too hard, which can interrupt the flow of the Force in uncomfortable ways," Qui-Gon responded thoughtfully. "So, he has learned to use humor to put himself and others at ease. This is a coping mechanism and not meant as an attack."

"Despite the years we spent together, I feel as if I never really knew him."

"As I remember, You spent your time comparing him to an imagined model of the perfect Jedi master. When he fell short, you felt justified in ignoring him or keeping secrets from him."

Stung, Anakin glanced at reproachfully Qui-Gon. "I thought, the Jedi believed that it was not a good thing to dwell too much on the past."

"Obi-Wan went, in a day, from being a padawan himself to mentoring a boy whom the elders on the Jedi Council thought was already too old to be trained."

"It's just that we were so different in temperament. Maybe, if it hadn't been such a forced match…"

Qui-Gon gazed at him sadly. "You imagine that, had you been able to choose your own Jedi master, everything would have been different. Perhaps we should explore that…" Adjusting the time-cycling rod, he held it out for Anakin to grasp. Tentatively, Anakin did so.

Once his head had cleared, Anakin realized that they were in Yoda's private quarters, listening to conversation between a younger Qui-Gon and Yoda. Initially, Anakin found it distracting, seeing Qui-Gon both at his side, and across the room.

"Your padawan this boy was meant to be," Yoda observed sagely. "The signs are clear. From each other you will learn in the coming years."

Qui-Gon said hesitated. "On Bandomeer, the boy was almost killed because of my miscalculation. After failing so badly with my first padawan, I only hope that I am doing the right thing. I have operated alone for so long…"

"Without Obi-Wan, you would not have survivied this last mission. A gift the universe has given you. Use well the coming years."

With a respectful bow, Qui-Gon took his leave. After Qui-Gon left, the diminutive Jedi master sat motionless, his eyes closed. Then Yoda slowly straightened and peered into the gathering darkness, directly toward the spot where Anakin and Qui-Gon stood.

"I thought we were invisible," Anakin said in a hushed tone. He felt a tug on his arm, Qui-Gon motioned toward the door. Anakin warily followed, leaving Yoda to his thoughts.

"Even in this dimension, we are not entirely out of the physical realm," Qui-Gon explained as they left the room. "Our energy signature can be felt by those who have the sensitivity"

"What do you mean?"

"Right now, you and I are able to interact in much the same way as we did in the physical world because we have not left behind all remnants of the physical world. The body you see me as having is, in fact, derived from my former physical form."

Anakin nodded somewhat impatiently. He had forgotten Qui-Gon's tendency to answer a simple query with a mini-lecture. "So you had doubts about taking Obi-Wan as your padawan?"

"Obi-Wan and I have contrasting temperaments. Initially, I found that difficult to deal with."

"So, why didn't you take a padawan who was more like you?"

"I had done that with my first padawan and it turned out badly. He left the Jedi Order under unfortunate circumstances. I had been blind to his faults because they were so similar to my own."

"What happened?"

"Xanatos was brilliant with the light saber and had a powerful connection to the Force. But he often got in trouble. He always claimed that the conflict wasn't his fault and I always tried to believe him. I was proud of his progress and indulged him…until he betrayed the Jedi Order."

Stiffening, Anakin wondered whether Qui-Gon fabricated this story as an indirect way to comment Anakin's failings. Yet the regret in Qui-Gon's voice was unmistakable. Also during his own years as a Jedi padawan, Anakin had heard rumors about Qui-Gon's first padawan.

"So what do you think caused Xanatos to turn out the way he did?" he asked resignedly, realizing that the issue could no longer be ignored.

"The path he followed was an individual choice," Qui-Gon said matter-of-factly, "Xanatos had been brought to the Temple as a young child. But, unlike the Sith, the Jedi Order makes no attempt to suppress individuality. Instead the Jedi attempted to nurture individual talents."

"But how much individuality can a child that young have?"

"As you heard at the Temple School, debate has been raging for centuries about the nature of consciousness. Where does it come from? Many ancient Jedi masters believed that consciousness is continually recycled, in much the same way that water evaporates from a planet's surface, eventually falling again as rain."

"I don't understand."

"The ancient Jedi masters believed that consciousness does not fade away, but simply changes form. Just as water that seems to us to have "dried up" continues to exist as droplets of vapor in the clouds, consciousness continues to exist even when we cannot see its imprint in the physical world. This helps to explains how the past continues to influence events in the present."

"I don't follow you," Anakin said impatiently.

"Think about the personality differences that exist, even between identical twins. The consciousness that animates each child comes with its own history and invisible interior landscape. These cannot be entirely explained by genetics and heredity. That is the mystery that Force sensitive beings can sense in each new birth. The Jedi always asked: gifts does this infant bring into the universe?"

Anakin said nothing, chilled by bitter memories of the expectations that once been laid upon him as the "Chosen One." Still, he was curious. "How did you and Obi-Wan work it out?"

"The incident that Yoda and I spoke about? Xanatos, my disgraced former padawan, tried to get back at me by kidnapping Obi-Wan and imprisoning him on a deepsea mining platform worked by slave labor. For Xanatos, attacking Obi-Wan seems to have been a way of killing off the shadow of what he had once been."

Anakin grimaced. "What did you do?"

Qui-Gon sighed. "As you might imagine, Obi-Wan refused to act in a slave-like manner. I was in a hyrocraft, approaching by water, when guards pushed Obi-Wan off the mining platform. For a human falling from that great height, the ocean surface would have been as hard as durasteel. But I was still too far away to do anything to stop them."

"So what happened?"

"A prisoner whom Obi-Wan had befriended had gone down and tied a tarp between two struts of the mining platform's, a few levels below. It was not directly under where Obi-Wan was pushed off, but he saw the tarp as he fell and reached out with the Force."

"Not bad for a padawan that age," Anakin agreed.

"I was close enough to help concentrate the Force, magnifying Obi-Wan's efforts. So, he was able to twist as he fell. He landed on the tarp."

"He must have been overjoyed to see you."

Qui-Gon shrugged. "Had I told Obi-Wan about Xanatos in the first place, that whole episode would not have happened. But I did not wish to confront the past…"

Anakin paused, groping for a reply. "But, your regrets were mild, compared to mine…"

"Still, there is little to be gained by regret," Qui-Gon said resignedly. "The reason that I have some knowledge about what happened between you and Obi-Wan is that, to a limited extent, I was still able to observe and provide assistance to my former apprentice while you were with him - and afterward."

"You mean …?"

"Obi-Wan learned to communicate with me, in the dimension where we now are, while he was living on Tatooine. He could teach Luke to do the same, if he were convinced communicating with you was beneficial to Luke."

Anakin hesitated, feeling a flash of resentment at again having to depend on Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon gave him an appraising look. "First, though, I suggest that you learn more about the experiences that shaped Obi-Wan … and his interactions with Luke…"

Anakin grimaced, then nodded. "It was rather amusing to see Obi-Wan as a little boy, sucking his thumb."


	8. Visit to Tatooine

While touring the Jedi Temple with Qui-Gon, Anakin questions the training techniques used in the Temple School and talks of the attraction of Sith methods and strategies.

Jedi Training vs. Sith 

Once more, Anakin had traveled into the past. He stood in a light-filled room within the Jedi Temple. A group of younglings sat cross-legged on the carpet. A delicate square of cloth hung before each. Using their minds to concentrate the Force, a few had caused the cloth to flutter. Others looked frustrated.

"Strange how things work out," Anakin laughed, turning toward Qui-Gon. "I never thought of how lonely it would be, with no Force users left aside from Emperor and a few of his servants."

"Without the living example of the Jedi to remind them of other options, most beings tend to focus on fulfilling their biological urges," Qui-Gon agreed.

"The influence of the Force is difficult to imagine until one has experienced it," Anakin nodded.

"Even these younglings, sitting in the midst of the Jedi Temple, find it difficult to work up the single-minded mental focus necessary to move a thin piece of cloth."

Qui-Gon shrugged resignedly. "The Jedi Order occupied a cultural niche that had been gradually disappearing for centuries."

"What do you mean?"

"We are entering an era when most beings want to discover things for themselves. They don't want intermediaries. In fact, they tend to be suspicious of them."

"You think that is why so few beings supported the Jedi in the end?"

"That and confusion. Media accounts made if difficult to tell fact from fiction."

"What about the Sith?"

"The Sith did their best to undercut the Jedi Order. But their success was largely due to making adroit use of developments that were a natural part of the evolutionary cycle."

Anakin grimaced and looked away. Qui-Gon smiled and rested a hand on his shoulder. "All things have a natural life span, including the Jedi Order. Already, when you joined the Order, much of the public had come to see the Jedi as an archaic remnant of another time."

"So what is left? With the Emperor now gone, the galaxy is rudderless."

"What is left is the collective consciousness of all sentient beings. More and more individuals are searching, dissatisfied with the narrow slice of experience they find themselves limited to."

"But, with the Jedi gone, there will be no one help them connect with the Force."

"By massacring the Jedi, the Emperor threw beings with spiritual yearnings back on their own resources. Many will fall prey to the 'natural' animal responses of fear, inertia, and anger. But some will discover the Force, just as the original Jedi did."

"What about Luke and his friends …"

"They could help. But there is much Luke never had the chance to learn, growing up on Tatooine. But we will visit Luke shortly. First, there is one more thing I would like you to see."

Somewhat reluctantly, Anakin followed Qui-Gon down a winding staircase, to the courtyard where fliffin cubs were trained to work as service animals. Eventually, the fliffins were given to younglings outside the Jedi Order who had impaired eyesight or other physical handicaps.

Distractedly Anakin gazed at a half dozen younglings from the Temple School, each about four years old, who were helping to train the cubs. "Do you notice anything?" Qui-Gon asked.

Anakin watched the blond boy he had observed before, smiling slightly as the boy struggled to control a grey fliffin cub. "At four years old, Obi-Wan already had that sauntering gait…"

The fliffin jumped up and put his front paws on Obi-Wan's leg. A professional animal trainer took the leash and demonstrated the proper technique for keeping a fliffin cub walking at heel.

"Obi-Wan's was not focusing on what the cub needed to learn…" Qui-Gon commented.

The teacher handed the leash back to the boy, who kept a slight tension in the leash, letting the fliffin know this was a working session. But, moments later, Obi-Wan looked down at the cub and grinned. Sensing his handler's lapse in concentration, the cub eagerly wagged its tail.

"It's kind of poignant seeing Obi-Wan, who always seemed in control as an adult, as a playful little boy," Anakin said, glancing sideways at Qui-Gon. "What you seem to be showing me is how the Jedi Order trained him to suppress that playfulness."

"Younglings training to be Jedi must learn to balance the impulse to give affection with the need to demonstrate leadership," Qui-Gon cautioned. "A fliffin's sensitivity to its handler's emotional state is very effective in demonstrating how quickly our feelings can affect other beings."

Anakin continued to watch the scene unfolding below. "I always regretted that, when I came to the Temple School, I was considered too old to work with the fliffin cubs…"

"I think you would have learned a lot," Qui-Gon agreed. "Their senses are much sharper than even a Jedi's. A handler who can tune into the fliffin's energies will find that a subtle dialogue begins to take place, so that they become a working team."

"What do you mean?"

"In the end, it is not about dominating the fliffin cub. It's about forging a partnership and allowing each member of the team to make the full contribution that each is capable of.

Anakin turned away from the scene in the courtyard and gazed at directly at Qui-Gon. "Just so you know," he said softly, "concerning Obi-Wan …, I don't hate him. There was just such a sense of frustration… as if, when I looked at him, I saw something besides Obi-Wan…"

Qui-Gon nodded. "When you started listening to Palpatine, you projected on Obi-Wan the emotions you had picked up from Palpatine. That, in turn, affected Obi-Wan."

Looking away, Anakin muttered: "It seemed as if Obi-Wan were shutting me out."

"Palpatine was already using you, in minor ways, to undermine your friends. In self-defense, your friends retreated. You then took their retreat as a rejection and became angrier."

"Maybe. Or maybe they were over-reacting."

"By sensing the tiniest movement in the Force and reacting quickly, you became a warrior of tremendous power. Yet, in one sense, you never got beyond reacting to what others did. Like a herdsman, the emperor shaped events so that your rather predictable emotional reactions would carry you in the desired direction."

"The one thing that always felt right, that made me feel as if I belonged, was when I went on a mission with Obi-Wan. Together, we were unstoppable..."

"But, as time went on, it had become less of a partnership. You lost sight of what he added to the mix. You were conscious only of your own contribution to each mission."

Anakin grimaced. "What are you talking about?"

"Take the fight with Dooku, in which you lost your hand. When you and Obi-Wan were approaching Dooku, Obi-Wan was explaining a strategy that could have helped you win…"

"And I ignored him! Have you any idea how often I have repeated that scene in my mind?"

"That is not my point. Each time you went out on a mission, Obi-Wan laid out strategies that took the best advantage of your skills. What you noticed was how well you had performed. What you did not notice was that Obi-Wan had positioned you to succeed."

"I started taking him for granted," Anakin scowled, looking away. "But it hardly matters now."

"Soon enough, it will. Obi-Wan has assisted Luke in the same way that he once assisted you, but his ability to communicate with Luke directly will fade over time. Your help will be needed."

"I don't see what I can do."

"Before long, you will discover aspects of the realm we currently inhabit that will allow you to act in ways that I cannot. Neither can Obi-Wan or Yoda."

"Why?" Anakin asked, his eyes narrowing.

"You came here as part of a natural progression, not through a conscious act of will, as we did."

"So?"

"We are able to operate here only by greatly slowing down our transition to another dimension. Do you remember the scene on Endor, where the recently deceased encountered the escorts?"

Anakin nodded, watching Qui-Gon warily, waiting for him to continue.

"Along with Yoda and Obi-Wan, I have consciously put off the moment when we continue on to the next dimension. But we remain wayfarers," Qui-Gon explained. "So, our ability to interact with the permanent residents of this dimension is limited."

"How come?"

"The dimension we currently inhabit is a place where the passions rule," Qui-Gon said patiently. "Many who inhabit this plane see only the world that their own emotions reflect back at them. So the Jedi, in remaining calm, are rendered invisible."

"So, why am I different?"

"You arrived here as part of a natural progression. For the past two decades, you have used your passions as a weapon of intimidation."

"Interesting place! Does it have a name?" Anakin grunted.

"Many have referred to it as purgatory or hell," Qui-Gon sighed, "because of the misery one's reflected emotions can generate."

"You're saying we're in hell?"

"Hell is just a word. This dimension also has many other names."

Anakin winced. "It sounds like there is more to see than the training of fliffin cubs…"

"Let's visit Tatooine," Qui-Gon replied, pulling the familiar gold rod from his utility belt.

Moments later, they were standing on a patch of desert that Anakin remembered from his visit to the Lars homestead. "I wish that I could have saved Luke from this," Anakin frowned, looking about.

Not far away, the teenage Luke was emerging from the Lars homestead. He and a protocol droid, which Anakin recognized as C3PO, got into a speeder and took off into the desert. Qui-Gon used the rod to transport them to a ridge some distance away, from which they watched Luke's speeder approaching.

"What is Luke doing out here?" Anakin muttered, noticing signs that Tuskan raiders were near.

Luke stopped next to a droid--which resembled R2D2--that had been moving slowing along the road. While the increasingly agitated Anakin looking on, Luke left his speeder and climbed the ridge. A group of sand people lurked in the shadows, invisible to Luke but in clear sight of Anakin and Qui-Gon.

A Tuskan Raider crept up on Luke from behind. Instinctively, Anakin ran to intervene. His fist passed right through the first Tuskan raider, but Anakin swung about, pummeling the second raider in line. Once again, his punches had no effect. Overcome with rage, Anakin rained blows on the Raider who had knocked Luke unconscious, screeching with rage as the sand people carried Luke down the hill.

"We are in a different dimension of the space/time continuum than they are," Qui-Gon cautioned as Anakin paused, his hands twitching in frustration.

A loud noise startled the Raiders, causing them to drop Luke's limp body. Anakin ran forward protectively as the sand people run off. But then he froze, transfixed. A robed figure had materialized out of the rocks. Hurrying forward, he knelt down next to Luke, pulling his hood back from his face.

Involuntarily, Anakin stepped backward, his eyes widening in recognition. "Obi-Wan should not have allowed this to happen!" Anakin growled.

"Life on the run can compel one to make compromises," Qui-Gon responded with a wry grin.

Anakin snorted. "It never occurred to me to look for Obi-Wan on Tatooine."

"Your aversion to the place was why Obi-Wan chose to take Luke here," Qui-Gon chuckled. "But the accommodations were a bit austere and the locals were not always friendly."

Wincing, Anakin watched as Obi-Wan helped Luke to his feet. Anakin was about to draw close enough to listen in on their conversation when he realized, with astonishment, that another group of sand people were approaching. This group was staring right at Anakin. Without warning, they attacked.

Explosively, Anakin responded. Without a light saber, he had no choice but to rely on the hand-to-hand combat skills he had not used since becoming Darth Vader. This time, he was able to connect with his attackers, who could not match his fury. After several moments they backed away and withdrew.

"How could they see us?" Anakin asked. "No one else could!"

"They're ghosts," Qui-Gon replied simply. "They inhabit the same dimension that we do."

"Ghosts?" Anakin responded wonderingly. "I thought ghosts were fantasy figures out of folk tales."

"Ghosts are entities that got trapped in this dimension after death and were unable either to ascend to the spiritual realms or return to physical embodiment."

"Trapped…?" Anakin asked, cautiously. He looked away, his mind racing as he recalled the entities he had seen on Endor, hovering close to their former physical bodies until drawn away by emissaries from another plane.

"Think back to the battle you engaged in, just moments ago," Qui-Gon urged sympathetically. "Look at your hands and arms. You did not suffer so much as a bruise. If you caught up with them, you would see that the Raiders did not either."

"But I felt …"

"Exactly. You were acting on your emotions, which were real enough. The Raiders did the same. They may have been here ever since your attack on the Tuskan Raider camp, years ago."

"Why would they have ended up on this dimension, when others did not?"

"Terror can keep an entity from moving on. So can other powerful emotions."

His head in his hands, Anakin sat down on the barren hillside. Qui-Gon sat down a short distance away, allowing him to think. Eventually, Anakin lifted his head, staring at the small stone building into which Obi-Wan and Luke had disappeared.

"I've always wondered," Anakin mused. "How did Obi-Wan survive the aftermath of Order 66?"

"After Commander Cody received Order 66, he couldn't bring himself to look Obi-Wan in the eye," Qui-Gon replied evenly, "Cody had his clone troopers try to blast Obi-Wan from a distance, but they hit the dragonmount Obi-Wan was riding instead."

Anakin gritted his teeth. "On Mustafar, I literally wanted to tear Obi-Wan limb from limb.…"

"Which is why the energies you were sending out rebounded on you so destructively."

Anakin shuddered. "And, all the time, Palpatine was playing me for a fool."

"Even in the midst of your rage, you must have sensed that," Qui-Gon grunted.

Numbly Anakin stared at the barren landscape. "As a slave boy on Tatooine, I learned never to show fear. Still, I was attracted to the power wielded by beings who made themselves feared."

"And that drew you to Palpatine…"

"Anger gave me the strength to stand up to the insults that a slave boy had to endure."

"Replacing fear with anger made you feel stronger."

"Perhaps," Anakin shrugged. "On the Death Star, in that final fight with Obi-Wan, I felt numb. It was only afterward, when I picked up his light saber, that memories came rushing back."

"Were they good memories?"

"I felt … a sense of loss. The crystals in Obi-Wan's light saber had picked up his energy… I could feel it. It suddenly occurred to me that I had eliminated the only person who could have told me what happened to Padmé…"

"I can tell you. When you slipped into the lava, Obi-Wan assumed you were as good as dead. He saw Palpatine's shuttle approaching ran back to Padmé. He got her off Mustafar, but she only managed to hold on long enough to give birth to Luke and Leia. Then she slipped away…"

Anakin watched Luke and Obi-Wan emerge from the building and get into the speeder. "I wish I had died with Padmé," he said softly, his jaw clenched.

"Your children will need you," Qui-Gon replied quietly.

"For what? I cannot talk to Luke and Leia cringes whenever she senses my presence."

"Emotional energy has an impact on all sentient beings, even when they cannot identify the source. On Endor, Leia was simply reacting to energies you were projecting."

"I was not trying to intimidate her."

"Leia senses the anger that you still carry with you. Anger is a fiery emotion, close to the surface, and it hides the deeper love that you have yet to learn to express. Give yourself time."


	9. Revisiting the Birth of Luke and Leia

In this segment Anakin and Qui-Gon visit the burned homestead of Owen and Beru, then travel back in time to witness of births of Luke and Leia.

**IX**

"We should follow Luke," Anakin said, getting to his feet and gazing in the direction where the speeder carrying Luke and Obi-Wan had disappeared.

"You know where they are going," Qui-Gon said quietly. "They will escape on the Millennium Falcon." He pulled out the gold rod but merely held it in his hand, hesitating.

Anakin was overtaken by an irrational surge of impatience. "Where is Luke now?"

"At the moisture farm where Owen and Beru lived," Qui-Gon said, reluctantly setting the mechanism and offering it for Anakin to grasp. Anakin grabbed and felt a familiar lurch.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Anakin saw the familiar horizon in the distance. But something was wrong. There was an acrid stench. The air was dense with smoke. Instinctively Anakin turned to identify the source. Smoke was pouring out of what had been the homestead. Two scorched bodies lay on the ground near the entrance.

"If only…" a nearby voice said softly. Anakin looked up. Nearby, Luke was staring at the same scene, tears streaming silently down his face. Then, overwhelmed, Luke turned and fled, jumping into his land speeder and taking off. Anakin turned as if to follow.

Qui-Gon stepped in front of him and shook his head. "Let Luke go, for now. Obi-Wan is nearby. He will take care of Luke."

"Why did he let Luke come here alone?"

"Obi-Wan's reactions were not fast enough. As you once did, Luke can move at lightening speed when he gets upset. But Luke is on his way back to Obi-Wan now."

Anakin shivered as he looked at the remains of Owen and Beru. He knew these people. This couple had raised Luke. Anakin looked away, feeling ill.

"Imperial storm troopers," Qui-Gon sighed. "Jawas must have told them that the droids they were looking for were sold to the owners of this moisture farm."

"Cliegg Lars bought my mother out of slavery," Anakin murmurred. "Owen was like a son to her, while I was off playing hero…"

Qui-Gon studied him, then said carefully: "Even so, the deaths of Owen and Beru were caused as much by fear as by the Imperial troopers."

Anakin snorted in disbelief. "Fear did not blast them into oblivion as they tried flee."

"No, but fear kept them from preparing for possible attack."

"If it were not for Obi-Wan, there would have been no attack! The troopers were tracking two droids that were looking for Obi-Wan."

"Under the Empire, fear became the norm. Being fearful came to be thought of as the same as being rational. Owen and Beru absorbed that fear and saw Obi-Wan, who might otherwise have helped them, as a threat. Tragically, this led to their deaths."

"Obi-Wan did not outlive them by much…"

"No. But that was his choice. He was not trapped in a passive, defensive stance that closed off any chance of taking the initiative."

"I can't believe that Obi-Wan chose to bring Luke to this barren wasteland on the outer rim of the galaxy," Anakin said bitterly.

"We can investigate that," Qui-Gon said thoughtfully. "My impulse had been to introduce you to Luke at an age when he was old enough that you would be able to see his special qualities. But perhaps it would have been better to start at the beginning…"

"What do you mean?"

"When we were on the forest moon, you spoke of the strangeness of meeting your children for the first time as adults. We could go back further. But I have hesitated to go back to the beginning because of the pain you may feel at seeing Padmé again …"

Anakin asked eagerly: "Could you take me to see Padmé again?"

"I could enable you to see her. But she would not be able to see you, just as Luke was unable to see you just now."

Anakin's face twisted, but he nodded. Qui-Gon held out the gold rod for him to grasp. With a lurch, the desert planet of Tatooine disappeared from view. Then all was silent. Anakin froze for a moment, half afraid to open his eyes. He steadied himself, then heard a moan. Anakin's eyes flew open. Around them was the jagged terrain of a large asteroid.

A few yards away was a small, graceful spacecraft that gleamed against the dark sky. Nearby was a medical station of some sort. Someone was coming down the landing ramp of the spacecraft, carrying a limp form. Catching his breath, Anakin recognized Obi-wan. Although he could not see her face, he knew Obi-wan was carrying Padmé.

In a trance, he followed Obi-Wan into the medical facility, then into the surgical area. Medical droids hummed and buzzed around them. Yoda and Bail Organa watched through a glass wall as Padmé struggled, her strength waning, to deliver the babies. But Obi-Wan stayed with Padmé, holding her hand, whispering words of comfort.

His jaw clenched, Anakin stared. He should have been there. He would have been there, if…. Images of the fiery scene on Mustafar flashed through his mind. Even now, it seemed impossible that he had been defeated by…. Then Anakin noticed the warning look in Qui-Gon's eyes. He had all but forgotten about Qui-Gon.

"Do you remember the visit we made to the Temple, when Obi-Wan was very young and Yoda sat with him on the swing?" Qui-Gon asked quietly. "The same energy that Yoda sent to Obi-Wan years before is the energy that Obi-Wan is sending to Padmé and her unborn children now. That you children lived is due to Obi-Wan."

Hot tears burned Anakin's eyes. "She loved him," he choked.

"Not in the way you may be thinking," Qui-Gon cautioned. "Padmé was in love with you. No one else. But with you, she always had to play the role of the steady, dependable one. To Padmé, Obi-Wan was like a brother. She could lean on Obi-Wan."

"Did Obi-Wan love her?"

"Not in the romantic sense. Years ago, Obi-Wan fell in love with another Jedi…"

"Siri!"

"Yes. Yoda and I intervened. We convinced them to put their romantic attachment behind them and stay in the Jedi Order."

"Siri died. I was on the mission where it happened. I was an apprentice then."

"That you so easily guessed who I was talking about shows the connection between them never faded away. They just decided not to act on it."

"I wondered. But if their feelings were anywhere as strong as what I felt for Padmé…"

Qui-Gon shrugged. "Padmé intuitively knew that Obi-Wan sympathized with her plight. That's all. She knew that Obi-Wan loved you and would help as best he could…"

"Some help!" Anakin snapped bitterly.

"Obi-Wan did not come between you and Padmé. It was the slaughter of the younglings in the Temple that changed everything," Qui-Gon added soberly. "Padmé couldn't stop loving you, yet she hated herself for doing so. That self-loathing choked off her life."

Anakin stared at Qui-Gon, his eyes seemingly burning with resentment. Qui-Gon looked back at him with great sadness. A baby's cry broke the silence. They both watched as, too weak to hold her son, Padmé touched him longingly, murmuring, "Luke."

Breaking away from Qui-Gon, Anakin entered the operating theatre. Obi-Wan was holding Luke. Anakin watched in fascination as his daughter entered the world. Weakly, Padmé whispered, "Leia." Impotently, Anakin reached out to touch the baby. However, Leia remained in the arms of the medical droid as Padmé breathed her last.

Wild with grief, Anakin twisted away. He had no wish to watch as Obi-Wan gently closed Padmé's eyes. Passing back through the glass wall, Anakin turned back to see Obi-Wan holding an infant in each arm. Regret and resentment overwhelmed Anakin.

"There was no betrayal," Qui-Gon explained doggedly, following him. "Padmé just could not accept--or to cope with--your embrace of the Dark side."

"I did it for her! I did it to save her!" Anakin screamed.

"Whatever your motives were, the result is the same."

His chest heaving, Anakin bowed his head, shivering in the darkness. Not far away, Yoda and Bail Organa were beaming at the infants Obi-Wan had brought out of the operating theater. A stricken look on his face, Anakin gazed back at Padmé, still lying on the table.

As he watched, a translucent form, resembling a pale hologram of her physical body, took form above Padmé's inanimate form, floating as if in a trance. Groaning, Anakin reached out toward her. But she seemed not to see. Nearby a shining figure took shape, waiting patiently for Padmé to take notice."

"Why doesn't she help Padmé?" Anakin demanded irritably, pointing at the shimmering figure with long blond hair, which was maing no effort to reach out to Padmé.

"She has to wait for Padmé to become aware of her," Qui-Gon responded. "The choice to move on to the higher realms must be voluntary. When the newly deceased has been severely traumatized that may take awhile."

Anakin snorted. "Perhaps I can talk to Padmé," he hissed, starting to push forward.

For the first time since their initial encounter on the disintegrating Death Star, Qui-Gon stepped in front of Anakin, forcibly restraining him. "If tranquility is what Padmé most needs, then she will have it," Qui-Gon insisted.

"And what if Padmé chooses to stay here?" Anakin said stiffly, his heart lifting with hope at the thought.

"Since we have journeyed into the past, we already know what she will choose to do," Qui-Gon said quietly.

Anakin drew back, unwilling to leave the area where Padmé lay. As he watched, the translucent figure that so poignantly mirrored Padmé's living visage seemed to become aware of the luminescent form waiting patiently nearby. Smiling, the other beckened.

Anakin tried to rush toward Padmé. But, stepping in his way, Qui-Gon insisted: "Not now! Do you want to see Padmé shudder as Leia did when she sensed your presence?"

At these words, Anakin backed away from Padmé and her guide. "Let's go," Qui-Gon said, trying to calm him. "Some day …"

Anakin stared, as if unseeing, at Qui-Gon. Then, suddenly, before the other could finish his statement, Anakin lunged toward the pocket where Qui-Gon kept the time travel rod. Snatching the gold time-turner, Anakin feverishly reset the mechanism and disappeared.


	10. Leia's Recognition

Images of Padme's harrowing final minutes churned through his mind

Images of Padme's harrowing final minutes churning through his mind. Anakin stared blankly at the scene before him. Waterfalls filled the air with mist. Above the lush green landscape of Naboo, the sun was sinking in the sky. Fingering the gold rod that he had impulsively snatched from Qui-Gon, Anakin swayed slightly. He had bee so focused on the scene he was escaping that he had chosen his destination purely on impulse.

Now he was on Naboo, standing next to the vacation house by the lake where he and Padmé had shared that fateful meal. Still holding the gold rod in his hand, he walked cautiously toward the window. Inside sat two familiar figures, across the table from one another, eating dinner. One of these figures he had seen only in the mirror. He found himself gazing in pity at a younger Anakin, blissfully unaware of what the future held as he shyly flirted with Padmé.

Torn between her affection for the young Jedi padawan and her responsibilities as a Senator, Padmé struggled to avoid the emotional pitfalls that had eventually brought devastation to all that the youthful Anakin and Padmé had held dear. Anakin shuddered involuntarily, feeling an urge to protect Padmé from the young man who seemed to devour her with his eyes.

"Padmé," the former Darth Vader murmured, his eyes were fixed on the radiant young Senator from Naboo. For a moment, the intervening decades seemed to evaporate. But Padmé had eyes only for the young Jedi Padawan across the table from her. As Padmé smiled warmly, her companion began to show off.

Using a basic-level Jedi mind-trick, the youthful Anakin caused the fruit on Padmé's plate to move just beyond her reach. Looking on, from another dimension, the disembodied Anakin could see the tension—the subtle note of desperation in the youthful face of the Padawan. Padmé's worried look signaled her understanding that, by using the Force to show off, Anakin was breaking the rules. Yet she had no way of knowing that Anakin had, in fact, taken a first step toward cutting himself off from the source of his Jedi skills.

Inexorably, as a younger Anakin had proceeded further down that path, he had found that the natural, unthinking connection to the Force he enjoyed at this moment became more difficult to achieve. To maintain and advance his skills, Anakin had found himself casting about for other ways to tap into the energies that he had long taken for granted. Gradually, he had drifted toward the Dark Side, where he was able to use the very anger triggered by his sense of frustration and fear to advance his skill in manipulating the Force.

But, here on Naboo, excited by his proximity to Padmé, the youthful Anakin ignored the prickling of his conscience. With a painful flash of memory, the phantom Anakin recalled the mixture of elation and fear he had experienced at this moment. There had been a heady burst of excitement—accompanied by a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. In a fleeting moment of foresight, he had sensed that, in willfully deciding to pursue a private relationship with Padmé, he had embarked on a path that would cause him to be less open and trusting with the other Jedi, lest they sense his transgressions.

"Padmé!" the phantom Anakin called, yearning to warn her of the response that her smiles had set off in her young admirer. Focusing searchingly on Padmé's face, he willed her to hear him. But she gave no sign of awareness. Across the table, however, a younger Anakin wrapped his arms around himself, as if trying to ward off a sudden chill. A shadow seemed to have settled across the Jedi padawan's face, as if the older Anakin's nightmare of losing Padmé had somehow communicated itself to his younger self, blighting even this brief moment of happiness.

On impulse, the phantom Anakin reached out, touching Padmé's arm. But his hand passed through Padmé's flesh as if through air. With an anguished cry, he reached out again. No response. In panic, he clawed at the empty space around him, flailing, as if at the bars of an invisible cage. Then, suddenly, something caught hold of his hand.

"That's mine, as I remember," Qui-Gon said gruffly, as he plucked his time travel device from Anakin's grasp.

"What?!" Anakin roared. "How did you…?"

"The rods are made in pairs, lest a disoriented traveler get lost and not be able to find his way back," Qui-Gon responded quietly, holding up two identical rods of gold. "Obi-Wan found me. We used the mate of my rod to find you."

"Where is Obi-Wan…?" Anakin demanded, looking around angrily, his attention now fully focused on the dimension he shared with Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon said nothing, but held out a gold time-transcending rod, as if attempting to hand it to someone. A patch of mist approached from the lake, obscuring Qui-Gon's hand. Then the mist faded away, leaving a clear view of the gathering sunset. But the gold rods that Qui-Gon had held out was now gone.

Anakin looked around warily. "Obi-Wan brought you here?

Qui-Gon nodded. "We can rejoin Obi-Wan later, if you wish."

"How did you find me?"

"Obi-Wan carries the mate of my time-transcending rod. So, when my rod was used by someone else, he knew that something was wrong. He used his rod to find me."

Anakin nodded absently, gazing longingly toward Padmé. "I've seen you and Obi-Wan communicate with the living. Why can't Padmé sense my presence?"

Qui-Gon smiled at the two figures sitting at the table. "Do you honestly think that anything could distract Padmé right now?" he chuckled.

"But he…" Anakin whispered, pointing hesitantly at his younger self, "he reacted to my attempts to reach out to Padmé…."

"Of course. 'He' is you. So, naturally, he was affected by your thoughts."

"If he is me, why can I stand here and watch him, the same as I am watching Padmé?"

"Because humans are multidimensional beings. Think about the dimensions of height, weight, and breadth. When you were in a physical body, you could not see the back of your head without a mirror. But, if you hit your head on something, it still hurt. If you lost blood from a wound on the back of your head, that loss of blood still affected you, even though you could not see the wound without using a tool like a mirror."

"This is not just a matter of using a mirror to look at the back of my head!"

"There is a thread of consciousness that connects all of the aspects of your own being. On a certain level, he _is_ you, even though you may not always be aware of one another. Whenever you emit a powerful emotional energy, as you did just now, it will have an effect on all aspects of your being. You're just not often in a position to notice."

"It's Padmé I came here to see!"

"Of course, but it is yourself that you must heal, before you can be any help to Padmé. If the emotional energy that your younger self had received from you were more compassionate…"

"This is hopeless!" Anakin growled. "Let's get out of here…"

"If you wish. But it is not hopeless. I can show you how your daughter finally made peace with your memory…."

"Leia?"

"Yes," Qui-Gon answered, holding out the rod for Anakin to grasp.

This time the spinning sensation was more pronounced. It took Anakin several moments to open his eyes. Even before he had done so, he recognized the acrid scent of the dusty winds of Tatooine. When Anakin looked about him, he instantly recognized the barren landscape surrounding the hut where Obi-Wan had lived while Luke was gowing up. On the ridge beyond, a lone figure was pacing back and forth. Instinctively, Anakin sensed that this was Leia.

Purposefully, Anakin strode toward her, quickly leaving Qui-Gon behind. Relieved to be alone for a moment, Anakin enjoyed the sensation of perceiving the rocky hills directly--not through Darth Vader's goggle-eyed helmet. The lenses of that mask had filtered out any light that might have caused further injury to Vader's damaged eyes, but they also reddened the light. The implants in his inner ears had transmitted sound, but it always seemed as if he was listening to noises while under water. It was nice to be rid of the helmet. And the Emperor.

At the thought of Darth Sidious, rage again coursed through Anakin. For all those years, he had been imprisoned in a suit of body armor embedded with microchips that would allow the Emperor to cut off his life support systems at any time. Although Vader served as the public face of the Dark Side—intimidating, or destroying, all who might have stood in the Emperor's way--he had been but a prisoner, at his Master's call, within the armored cage that kept him alive.

As Anakin approached the lone figure on the ridge, he noticed and another had joined her. He grimaced, recognizing the smuggler Han Solo. Fortunately, Solo turned and went back inside the hut. Leia did not follow Han, but stood silently looking at the distant hills. In her hand was a battered datapad, blinking weakly.

Anakin approached cautiously, remembering Leia's reaction to his presence on Endor. His attention was drawn to the data pad. On the screen he saw an image of Obi-Wan. The datapad was asking for a password. Involuntarily, Anakin stiffened. How very different things might have been, had it not been for Obi-Wan! Even now, when he finally found himself alone with Leia, her thoughts seemed to be on Anakin's former Jedi master.

"Leia…" Anakin said softly, although he knew she could not hear.

"So many years…" Leia murmured to herself, staring back toward the hut, where she had apparently discovered the datapad. "How many sunsets did Obi-Wan watch from this ridge, feeling as helpless as I do now?"

Grimacing, Anakin approached closer. A tear rolled down Leia's cheek. She brushed it away, leaving a muddy smear where the teardrop had mixed with the blown dust that had settled on her face. Tatooine. Nothing stayed clean here for long. Leia's eyes had taken on a haunted look. Anakin remembered seeing that same trapped, haunted look on his mother's face when they were both slaves on Tatooine. How he has hated this place! Why had Leia come here?

Fearing that his presence might have triggered Leia's despairing mood, Anakin stumbled blindly down the rocky ravine where the sand people had attacked Luke. But, gradually, Anakin's steps slowed. How could he leave her like this? Longingly, Anakin turned and looked back. Once again, Leia had been joined by a second figure, a few years away. But this presence was indistinct, as if shrouded in mist. Leia seemed unaware of it.

Through the desert haze, Anakin could see that subtle energies were moving back and forth between the two figures. Protectively, Anakin moved in his daughter's direction. Predatory beings lurked in every crevice of this planet. To Anakin's surprise, however, going back up the ravine proved unaccountably difficult. An invisible force field seemed to slow his steps. Fearing for Leia, he peered up at her. She had straightened, but seemed calmer.

With an act of will, Anakin calmed his mind, becoming receptive to whatever energies might be emanating from the unknown figure. To his surprise, a clear image formed in his mind, not of Tatooine, but of a familiar fresco on the wall of the Jedi Temple, depicting emotional energies bouncing off of their target and returning to their sender. Wincing, Anakin found himself envisioning the twisted visage of Darth Sidous after his deadly duel with the Mace Windu, when the blue Force lightening that Darth Sidious had sent out had bounced back, dramatically transforming the visage of its creator.

Leia dropped the datapad on the ground. Her gaze again wandered to the horizon. "But what did Obi-Wan's worries and regrets accomplish?" Leia whispered softly. "By dwelling on the past, unable to forgive Vader, Obi-Wan just paralyzed himself."

Just then, Han reappeared in the doorway of the hut, staring at his chronometer. "The sandstorm seems to have stopped," he said gruffly. "We'd better be moving on."

Wordlessly, Leia nodded, stooping to pick up the datapad. They walked toward the landspeeder parked nearby. As Han revved up the landspeeder, Leia climbed in. Whatever the force field was that had impeded Anakin's progress earlier, it now seemed to have faded. Yet the indistinct presence on the ridge had not moved. Anakin climbed the ridge.

As he approached, the figure's outline became more solid. Anakin realized that the visitor inhabited the same dimension in which he now dwelt. It had only seemed hazy and insubstantial in comparison with the intransigent solidity of the physical world. As Anakin climbed, the figure turned toward him, as if quietly watching his approach.

"Who are you?" Anakin demanded, sensing something oddly familiar about the presence before him.

Gradually, the mist that had obscured the figure's features cleared. With a sense of shock, Anakin recognized the penetrating blue eyes.

"Obi-Wan!" he exclaimed, with a mixture of wonder and rage. For this was not the old man whom he had vanquished on the Death Star. This was the young master he had battled on Mustafar—the one who had inflicted the injuries that imprisoned Vader in his armored cage.

His former master bowed slightly in greeting but seemed distracted. "Leia found Schmi's electronic diary," Obi-Wan explained, as if replying to Anakin's unspoken thoughts. "She has been listening to the messages Schmi recorded, to give to you on your return to Tatooine."

Memories of his mother surged up at the mention of her name. "It was you who kept me from returning to rescue her!" Anakin barked, his mouth twisting as he recalled the manner of Schmi's death. Stored up regrets broke over him, like storm waves in a raging sea. Feeling shattered, desperate, Anakin turned his searing sense of frustration against his former master, using the Force to pound him with unspoken accusations, as if with blows.

Magnified through the Force, the backwash from Anakin's frenzied outpouring of rage was instantaneous. Perhaps he had triggered an upwelling of feelings that Obi-Wan had long suppressed. Images tied to Obi-Wan's kaleidoscopic emotions washed over Anakin: Padmé gasping as Anakin Force-choked her, Obi-Wan placing the infant Leia in Organa's arms, Beru smiling down at baby Luke, Padmé's tortured face as she gasped "There's still good in him…"

"I hate you!" Anakin screamed at Obi-Wan, pouring out his stored resentment toward the man who had maimed him, who had taken Padmé and his children away.

"I know" Obi-Wan responded with a resigned smile, a hint of wry humor stealing into his voice, "I think you have made that point before." The outpouring of images stopped.

Anakin struggled to call up the rage that he had habitually used as his shelter, but it did not come. "I hate you," Anakin said again, more softly, with less conviction.

"Perhaps your life would have been better had I not become part of it. Perhaps many would have been happier," Obi-Wan nodded.

These quiet words struck Anakin with unexpected effect, like a blow to the elbow that numbs the arm. Images of the day he had first met Obi-Wan flooded back. They had met not far from here. Would it have been better for the world if Anakin had lived out his days as a slave?

"Yes," Anakin said, staring at the floor. "It would have been better…for everyone." But, even as he said it, he involuntarily began to shake his head. To have not been a Jedi? To have known nothing but this dusty Outer Rim backwater of a planet? Raising his eyes, Anakin looked unsteadily at Obi-Wan. As his anger receded, an unfamiliar feeling replaced it.

"Thank you," he rasped grudgingly, "for what you did for Leia. I sensed in her the beginnings of a malaise similar to what I once felt…"

Obi-Wan smiled. A sense of warmth, which had once been so much a part of him that he hardly gave it a thought, stole through Anakin. But now it carried a poignancy that was all but unbearable, not unlike the sensation in a limb that had "gone to sleep" after the circulation had been temporarily cut off. As the sensation surged back, it was accompanied by a terrible ache. What could Anakin possibly do to erase all that had happened? Billions had died.

Just then, Anakin felt a hand on his arm. He turned. Qui-Gon had come up beside him. "I see that you were able to find Obi-Wan," he said amiably. "Want to go inside?"

Anakin shook his head, but found himself irresistibly drawn toward the small hut. How could Ob-Wan have lived here for all those years? The interior was a squalid mess. Everything of value had been long since stolen. The walls seemed to press down on him, still carrying the impression of Obi-Wan's grief-filled life of exile and isolation. Then a thought struck him.

"That's how you learned, isn't it? How to leave your body behind?" Anakin asked. "Like the pressure that gradually turns coal into diamond, the pressure you were under…"

Obi-Wan nodded. "As a Jedi, I assumed that I had achieved self-forgetfulness. Not really. But even grief and remorse eventually wear themselves out. I lost interest in my own mistakes. That left me free to explore beyond myself…"

"So, what happens now?" Anakin asked, relaxing somewhat.

"Luke needs your help," Qui-Gon answered quietly.


	11. Confronting Vader's Legacy

"Luke needs _my_ help?" Anakin asked, echoing Qui-Gon's words. "What's wrong?"

"Someone close to him is turning toward the dark side," Obi-Wan replied. "Luke senses it, but love and loyalty keep him from acting."

"Who is it?"

"One of your grandchildren."

Qui-Gon stepped forward. "I'd take you to meet him, if you are willing."

Anakin was suddenly overcome with a sense of foreboding.

"It's better if I don't come," Obi-Wan cautioned. "I'd be too easy to recognize."

"May I ask where we are going?" Anakin asked, knitting his brow as Qui-Gon held out the gold rod.

"To the Jedi Temple."

"Again?"

"To the _rebuilt_ Jedi Temple … decades after the death of Emperor Palpatine."

Reluctantly grasping the rod, Anakin was weighed down by a mounting sense of dread.

"We're there," Qui-Gon whispered, as if to avoid being heard.

Warily, Anakin looked about him. Robed figures walked purposefully through familiar halls, unaware of their presence. Nothing seemed amiss, but… suddenly he felt cold. They were in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. A few Jedi meditated in secluded spots within the vast greenhouse, amidst the rock ledges and tumbling waters. Yet he saw…no…There!

Sitting on a bench among the assari trees were two barely visible figures, a veiled figure in a dark tunic and pants, along with a man in modified Jedi garb. The tension between the pair was palpable. Anakin strained to hear their conversation over the water rushing past a huge boulder nearby. "Did you arrange for that bombing to happen?" the man asked.

"I don't need to create chaos, Jacen," his companion, clearly a woman, replied. "People are only too willing to do it for themselves."

Anakin trembled like a wolf scenting its quarry. He recognized that energy clearly now. This woman was a Sith. But how, here in the Jedi Temple? What was she after?

"Let's take a walk," her Jedi companion suggested. They rose and strolled toward the main lobby. Both the man and the woman were concentrating on creating a Force illusion around her, so that her presence as a Sith was not evident to the Jedi among whom she walked.

Anakin stretched out in the Force, focusing on the Sith. What was she doing here? Then he sensed the presence of his son Luke nearby. Suddenly, with absolute certainty, Anakin knew that the focus of this pair was on Luke. Helplessly, he hurried toward them, projecting his laser-like attention on the female Sith.

Luke was striding toward them, approaching through the passage that connected the main lobby to the high council chamber. Anakin stared, taking a moment to grasp what he saw. Even though Luke's energy was instantly recognizable, he was now decades older. As Luke came nearer, Anakin sensed the Sith come to full alert. Instinctively Anakin stepped between them, creating a confused middle ground, muddying the energy so that neither could get a clear sense of the other. Passing the couple, Luke merely acknowledged the man with a preoccupied nod.

"Good morning Uncle," the Sith's companion said.

"Hello, Jacen," Luke nodded, barely glancing at the veiled woman as he hurried by. "Morning, Ma'am."

"Who's that?!" Anakin asked, watching the pair preparing to follow Luke outside.

"You know the woman," Qui-Gon replied. "Clear your mind and you'll recognize her."

"Lumiya!" Anakin gasped.

"Yes," Qui-Gon affirmed.

"She survived?" Anakin asked, frowning. "Last time I saw her, she was more cyborg than human. Without the Emperor's medical facilities, I would have thought…."

"She managed to maintain control of some imperial forces after the Battle of Endor, enough to maintain herself and give her a base of operations. With Vader and the Emperor dead, she gave herself the title of Dark Lady of the Sith."

Involuntarily Anakin closed his fist, then opened it, remembering the feel of his own cybernetic hand. "So, what is she doing here?"

"Her companion, the one who called Luke 'Uncle', was formerly Luke's apprentice. He is Leia's son Jacen. Of your four grandchildren, he is the one who most resembles you."

"What is he doing with the Sith?"

"She has been trying to persuade him that he can use the dark side without being corrupted. Lumiya argues that he can use Sith teachings to bring peace to a war-torn galaxy."

"Why did they come here?"

"Jacen was testing Lumiya, to see if she could resist the chance to attack Luke, if she were given the chance to catch him off guard."

With a snort, Anakin turned aside. "Why didn't Luke sense her presence?"

"His duties as the Jedi Grand Master have weighed Luke down, distracting him. Even a Jedi can only focus on a limited number of things at once. Jacen has been able focus more on just developing his own skills as a Force user."

"I notice you said 'Force user' not 'Jedi'."

"Jacen has become restive. His desires go beyond what the Jedi Order allows."

"But what can I do?"

"Jacen's motivations grow out of feelings that are not much affected by logic. You may be able to sense what it is that Jacen needs … boost is ability to resist Lumiya."

"And if I can't?"

"You saw what Jacen did today, bringing Lumiya into the Jedi Temple, then hiding her presence from Luke… If Jacen continues on this path, the danger of violence will grow…"

Anakin winced. "I assume there is more you want to show me..."

Silently Qui-Gon held out the gold rod. This time the journey was brief. A moment later Anakin found himself standing in the empty Jedi Council chamber in the late evening. He looked questioningly at Qui-Gon, who point toward an area close by, where the air seemed thicker.

"What…?" Anakin began.

But, as he focused his attention, a ghost-like figure materialized. It was the same man they had seen earlier with Lumiya. Anakin now saw the family resemblance. So this was Leia's son…Jacen...

"Flow walking," Qui-Gon murmurred. "He's listening to a conversation that took place right here in this room, but in the past. If you clear your mind, you can hear what he is hearing."

With an effort, Anakin silenced his own emotional tumult and opened himself to the energies around him. With a jolt, he realized that the discussion Jacen had tuned into was about a young perspective Padawan … Anakin Skywalker. He recognized the voices.

"So is he the Chosen One?"

"Qui-Gon believes so."

"But what do we believe?"

"Skywalker is exceptional, but he is past the age of being trained."

"But is he the Chosen One?"

"If he is, then training him becomes irrelevant. He will either find his path or not."

"A logical argument you make, but direction is needed."

"Who would train him? Perhaps nobody can take on the challenge."

"But if we do not train him, regret it we may."

"None of us can take on a Padawan. We have more pressing problems to deal with."

With bitterness, Anakin recognized the last voice as that of Mace Windu. The Council was abdicating the responsibility for providing guidance to a gifted young Force-user, leaving the inexperienced Obi-Wan to struggle on as best he could.

Then the scene shifted. Jacen had apparently directed his attention elsewhere. This time, there were not only voices but also images from the past. Standing in the center of the chamber, was Anakin saw himself as a young man. He was arguing with Mace Windu and Yoda.

"Allow this appointment lightly, the Council does not. Disturbing is this move by Chancellor Palpatine. "

"You are on this council, but we do not grant you the rank of Master."

"What? How can you do this? This is outrageous! It's unfair! I'm more powerful than any of you. How can you be on the Council and not be a Master?"

The anger he had once felt seemed, again, to course through Anakin's veins. Helpless fury at being dismissed, barely tolerated, handicapped by lack of training… it all came rushing back. If the Chosen One had been able to perfect his powers under the tutelage of a Master other than the corrupt Palpatine…

With a jolt, Anakin realized that Jacen was reacting similarly to the scene they had both witnessed. A sense of kinship with Leia's son welled up in him. He had no idea why Jacen was investigating events long past, but sensed in him an echo of Anakin's own youthful aloneness. Yearningly, he watched Jacen leave the Council chamber, becoming clearly visible in the hall.

"What did he…?" Anakin asked in surprise.

"To avoid being seen while in the Council chamber, he withdrew his Force presence into himself. Even to us, he seemed ghost-like. But it took intense concentration to both hide his presence and walk backward through the flow of time. He could only do it for so long."

Anakin had the impulse to follow Jacen, but Qui-Gon held him back. "We need to talk," he insisted.

"About what?" Anakin asked impatiently.

"Jacen seems to be retracing your steps."

"Back then, you were my advocate!" Anakin growled, eyes flashing. He was reluctant to revisit events that still burned like fire whenever he allowed himself to recall them.

Qui-Gon's gaze was full of compassion. "I brought you here, aware that it could reawaken dangerous resentments. But my hope was that you could…."

"Read Jacen's mind?" Anakin asked impatiently. "He's curious. What of it?"

"I'll show you." Qui-Gon held out the gold rod. For a moment, Anakin stood frozen. Stiffly he touched the rod. Moments later he was, once again, staring at his grandson's ghost-like form as Jacen silently viewed a scene from Anakin's own life. They were still inside the Jedi Temple. However, the unfolding scene was one of unparalleled horror.

A young blond Jedi was marching into the temple with his light saber drawn, flanked by troops in white armor. The muscles in the Jedi's jaw twitched with a dread and determination that Anakin could viscerally _feel_. As he watched, Anakin's whole being seemed to emit a silent shriek: "No!" But, his former self marched on, leading clones who continually raised weapons, fired, turned and fired again. Nearby, Jacen's ghost-like form watched, transfixed.

Overcome with loathing, Anakin felt a desperate, terrified sense of loss. How could he ever have imagined that Padmé's love would survive this? In agony, he watched younglings approach his former self, scared but clutching their training light sabers, telling the young Jedi that there were too many soldiers for them to drive off. Staring down at them, Anakin felt the absolute desolation, mixed with shame and grief, that had filled him as he drew his light saber.

Had he ever really believed that he could bring _peace_ to the galaxy in this way? In agony, Anakin turned away. Oddly, he sense in Jacen an outpouring of love, a sense of identification with the desolation Anakin felt. Then the vision faded and Jacen withdrew.

Anakin stood rooted to the spot, despair throbbing through him. "How could I ever have…?" he gasped in a broken voice.

"By hugging to you all the insults you'd suffered, your anger and resentment. Your desperate fear of losing Padmé was the match that ignited all that fuel, sparking an inferno."

Although Qui-Gon's voice was gentle the, words cut deep. Anakin remembered the intense frustration of having to adjust to the disciplined Jedi way of life, the loneliness of leaving his mother, the doubts he had hidden behind a posture of supreme confidence.

"Of course, I played my part," Qui-Gon continued ruefully, "I bought into the old myth about the 'Chosen One'. That gave the Jedi an excuse to treat you differently. That gave you a reason to believe that age-ole spiritual laws did not apply to you."

"What laws?" Anakin demanded, desperate to change the subject.

"What we see is determined by where we turn out attention. Our reactions to what we see are given power by the emotional energy we pump into them. Palpatine misled you but, in the end, it was you who hypnotized yourself into believing the actions you took were necessary."

"Hypnotized?" Anakin snorted.

"By focusing so profoundly on avoiding one possible future, you lost the ability to see anying else. Just like Jacen is beginning to do now."

"So what is it that Jacen fears?"

"He grew up surrounded by war. So he thirsts for peace."

"Sounds like an admirable goal."

"Except he thinks that he, personally, will bring it about."

"So?" Anakin queried, feeling protective of his grandson.

"Spurts of violence burst out, much like spontaneous combustion in the physical world. External conditions may exacerbate it, but conflict is generated by the simmering emotions of sentients, by the projection of their subjective perceptions onto the galaxy. Jacen can't stop that."

"You're saying war is inevitable?"

"I'm saying that, although external conditions can be improved, war can be stopped only when sentients evolve to where they don't see lashing out as a way of solving problems."

"That's not going to happen any time soon!"

"Yes. That's what made the myth of the Chosen One so dangerous. It encouraged us to believe that there might be a short cut… an easy answer."

"I'm surprised to hear you saying 'us'."

"I also yearned for an end to the insanity of never-ending war. That's why I reacted as I did when I thought I had found the Chosen One. But insanity can only be cured from within."

"And that's where you hope I will help Jacen."

"Yes. Luke has tried. Just as Obi-Wan earlier struggled to connect with you. In both cases, the difference in life experience was too great. Jacen feels Luke just doesn't understand."

Woodenly, Anakin nodded. "I no idea _what_ I can do, but … I can try…"

The sudden warmth of Qui-Gon's smile caught Anakin by surprise. "There is one bit of news I did not share earlier," his old mentor added. "Obi-Wan's mother reports that Padmé is no longer in seclusion. She is working with the same younglings you just observed."

"But…?!?"

Qui-Gon shook his head. "Padmé understands that, before you can heal your relationship, you both need to reach out to those who were hurt your past actions."


End file.
